Bus operator 's wellness initiative commended

National Express has been named best in the UK for their employee wellness initiative at the British HR Awards held in London.

Showcasing two initiatives, National Express came out on the top spot among entries from more than 100 different organisations across the country.

Judges at the awards evening gave special praise for the transport company 's innovative Health Bus - a mobile health facility which travels across sites to allow employees with varied working patterns to access medical checks.

The National Express Health Bus was launched in 2014 and has reached over 11,700 employees. It was introduced following comments in an annual employee survey, which praised employee safety awareness and asked for similar support in health and wellbeing.

Operated by a health coach and coordinator, physical health checks onboard include BMI, body fat, visceral fat, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose.

Confidential discussions also take place around levels of exercise, smoking, alcohol, satisfaction with daily energy levels, sleep, work-life balance and stress levels.

National Express has also introduced a new 'Mood Circles ' initiative as part of their mental health and wellbeing focus - to help normalise conversations around mental health.

This initiative was again singled out for praise at the British HR Awards, for encouraging employees to openly communicate their day-to-day feelings and access support where needed.

Rachel James, UK human resources director for National Express, said: “Employee wellness is at the heart of everything we do and this award really recognises all the hard work the teams have put into making these initiatives possible.

“Both initiatives are a real credit to the teams who built and run them. With the backdrop of Covid-19, there has been an intensified need to take a more proactive approach towards employee health and wellbeing. It 's been great to see the positive impact that both strategies are having on our people. ”

The British HR Awards is an annual campaign that sets out to discover and celebrate the organisations and individuals that are truly passionate about delivering a world-class people experience.

Pictured: Natalie Harries and Sara Brookes from National Express