Business community welcomes WorkWell

WORKWELL ONE I APRIL 2010

“We all know that when we’re fit and healthy, we are more motivated, more productive at work, and happier at home,” says Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive, Max Mason.

Max cites statistical and anecdotal evidence showing that poor health practices, obesity, alcohol and drug abuse and stress have a substantial negative impact in the workplace.

“In every workplace some or all of these issues are evident.

“But what do we do?

“Pretend they don’t exist or make excuses not to address the issues,” he says.

Max enthusiastically endorses WorkWell, Toi Te Ora’s new workplace wellness management system saying it has come along at a very opportune time in our economic cycle.

“A couple of years ago most workplaces had a few extra bodies that could cover for colleagues who were sick or absent.

“That’s less likely to be the case now and reliability and productivity are more important in these tougher economic times,” he says.

“Working well is as good as money in the bank.”

Encouraging businesses to participate in WorkWell, Max says employers will benefit from reduced absenteeism and staff turnover.

“They’ll notice an improvement in morale and productivity, and, as a consequence, their employees will be happier and have an increased ability to balance work and family life.

“All this plus being known as a great place to work is as good as money in the bank,” he says.

What’s inside:

Introducing WorkWell

Local businesses working well

Quick tips for a healthy workplace

WorkWell for physical activity

Meet the WorkWell team

Fine tuning business health and wellbeing

Workplace statistics

15% of problems at work are alcohol or drug related, 16% depression related, 22% stress related, only 17% of your employees are fully engaged in their

work.

The economic cost

$3.6B in lost productivity from disengagement, $1B in lost

productivity from absences, $395M on ACC, $240M on private healthcare schemes, $140M on other health care

measures.

Max Mason, Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive, says WorkWell can help businesses through tougher economic times.

WORKWELL

Toi Te Ora’s regional manager, Graeme Savage, says WorkWell focuses on how the working environment and organisational systems impact on employee wellbeing, and seeks to put in place simple but effective strategies for managing those impacts.

WorkWell has been designed to be simple yet effective with step-by-step guidance provided in the form of online tools, manuals and resources.

“Workplaces also have access to free professional support, time and advice from one of our team of trained advisors and assessors,” says Graeme.

Enriching employee wellbeing through positive change

“The WorkWell management system is based on the best international accreditation schemes and adapted to meet the needs of New Zealand business,” says Toi Te Ora’s health promotion manager, Jen Murray.

“WorkWell is designed to enrich employees’ physical, mental, emotional, occupational and spiritual wellbeing.

“And indirectly their families,” she says.

WorkWell takes a multi-level approach that affects individual’s decisions and abilities to practice positive behaviours, or to make needed lifestyle changes.

Organisational change is about policies and practices to support behaviour change, such as smokefree worksites, healthy vending machine policies or putting systems into place for consulting with staff.

Environmental change is about making sure the healthy choice is the easy choice. For example providing access to health services such as immunisation and providing secure storage for bikes.

Individual change is what most businesses already focus on. It’s about motivating change through health education.

“The good thing about WorkWell accreditation is that it focuses on all three areas as they all have an impact on the health and wellbeing of the employee and the business,” says Jen.

A leading workplace accreditation scheme

“A wellness management system underpinned by accreditation criteria, like WorkWell, provides quality assurance for employees, suppliers, customers and the wider community,” says WorkWell programme leader, Theresa Thompson.

“It confirms that a high standard of workplace wellness has been achieved and provides the business with a structured framework for progression,” she says.

WorkWell Advisors are available to help businesses develop their own workplace Action and Evaluation Plan and guide them through three levels of achievement – Bronze, Silver and Gold.

WorkWell is a reliable and effective online wellness management system designed by Toi Te Ora - Public Health Service (Toi Te Ora) especially for employers in the Bay of Plenty and Lakes regions.

Kia ora! I’m Dave

from WorkWell.

Visit me online for more information about WorkWell.

Introducing WorkWell

FOUNDATION MEMBERS

Whakatane District Council likes the fact that WorkWell operates under a framework of accreditation and believes this will be both beneficial and sustainable for their staff and community.

Te Runanga O Ngati Pikiao Trust hopes being involved in WorkWell will make them more effective in terms of supporting their staff.

Health manager Lauren James believes a healthy culture promotes a healthy workforce.

“We hope to see a reduction in sick leave, that staff are really looking after themselves and really balancing life with work.

“A healthy workforce means we’ll have more staff on board to deliver a really good service.

“The benefactors of that will be the community,” says Lauren.

Te Puke High School principal Alan Liddle says providing a healthier workplace for staff will translate into improved relationships between staff and students and ultimately lead to improved student learning and achievement.”We joined WorkWell because it gives us the tools we need to provide our staff with a great place to work,” says Alan.

Satara views WorkWell as a further opportunity to improve the health of their employees and their families. “We’re already proud of our health and safety policies and practices but through WorkWell we hope to improve our performance and obtain measurable results,” says health and safety officer, Angela Healy.

Operating in a 24/7 environment Bakels Edible Oils have an absolute desire to ensure the health and wellbeing of their employees.Operations manager, Brent Warner hopes the tools WorkWell provides will help employees improve their individual health and wellbeing while being able to recognise the challenges and affects of shiftwork.

Meet some local businesses already onboardWorkWell is designed with the help, guidance and support of five key business from the Bay of Plenty and Lakes regions.

Toi Te Ora’s regional manager, Graeme Savage, says their ongoing contribution to WorkWell is much appreciated.

“Being able to test our thinking and the practicalities of implementing the system directly with them is invaluable,” he says.

GETTING STARTED

Once businesses have registered online they have access to WorkWell guidelines, templates, solutions and toolkits that take them through the following steps to accreditation:

Step 1 Developing a shared vision

Step 2 Gathering baseline data

Step 3 Analysing the data and identifying priority health and wellbeing areas

Step 4 Developing the WorkWell Action and Evaluation Plan

Step 5 Implementing the plan and applying for accreditation

Step 6 Maintaining the momentum

Step 7 Evaluating progress and advancing to the next level

Priority health and wellbeing areas

Everything around us affects our health, from where we work to what we eat.

WorkWell helps businesses identify areas that need to be addressed and provides practical advice and solutions in the priority health areas including:

• Healthy Eating – one in three adults are overweight, one in four obese, one in seven take medication for high blood pressure and one in twelve for high cholesterol. The average adult consumes about one-third of their daily food intake at work.

• Safe Drinking and Drug Free – almost 48% of fulltime workers in New Zealand are binge drinkers. Productivity lost through alcohol related absenteeism costs New Zealand businesses around $16 million every year.

• Physical Activity – one in seven adults engage in less than 30 minutes of exercise over the period of one week. Employees who are physically active have more energy, greater morale and improved job satisfaction.

• Smokefree – half of the people who smoke today and continue to do so will eventually be killed from a smoking related illness. Employees who smoke take up to 33% more sick leave than non-smokers.

• Mental Health and Wellbeing – between 10% and 30% of the New Zealand workforce is likely to be affected by mental health problems at any one time. Fatigue and other outcomes of stress and poor mental health can increase the likelihood of an employee being hurt in an accident.

• Infection Control and Immunisation – infectious diseases, like influenza and gastroenteritis, consistently prove to be a signficant cause of illness in our communities. Outbreaks of infectious disease are common in workplaces as many people operate in close proximity and share the same surfaces and resources.

Seven easy steps to a healthier businessBusinesses can use WorkWell to create their own WorkWell Action and Evaluation Plan, become accredited or simply make some quick and easy improvements to the health and happiness of their workplace.

Quick tips for a healthier workplace

• Include healthy food options when catering for meetings.

• Be sure to provide food and non-alcoholic beverages at worksite social events.

• Display smokefree signage in prominent areas.

• Involve employees in any changes around the workplace and in matters that are likely to affect them.

Visit us online for free access

to tools to implement

improvements in your

workplace.

Physical activity is widely celebrated for its health benefits, and is a key strategy in improving the wellbeing of New Zealanders.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

In addition to increasing fitness, physical activity can reduce the onset of obesity and illnesses such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, depression, and a number of cancers.

The facts

• In the 2006/2007 New Zealand Health Survey, only half of all adults met the definition of being physically active on a regular basis. One in seven adults were reported to follow a sedentary lifestyle, engaging in less than 30 minutes of exercise over the period of a week.

• Research indicates that employees who are physically active on a regular basis report more energy, greater morale, and improved job satisfaction.

• Research also highlights a link between an active workforce and cost saving outcomes, such as reduced absenteeism, reduced turnover, and improved productivity.

WorkWell for Physical Activity

Many jobs today involve low levels of physical activity, with employees spending long periods of time seated

in front of a computer or operating machinery. In addition to this, many New Zealand workers spend more than 50 hours a week at work, leaving limited time for physical activity outside of the workplace.

New Zealand workers often identify this time restriction to be a barrier to their participation in physical activity. Workplaces can help by encouraging employees to bike or walk to work or meetings where possible, and providing shower and storage facilities to enable employees to freshen up before settling into their work.

Check out www.workwell.health.nz and download our comprehensive WorkWell for Physical Activity toolkit which will help you ensure:

• Your physical activity programme is effective, sustainable and integrates with other WorkWell initiatives.

• The reasons for implementing a physical activity programme have been justified and help gain management approval.

• Your success in developing a physical activity policy and plan of action.

Getting more people more active, more often

“With inactivity being the direct cause of 2,600 deaths every year, being physically active is essential for personal, business and community health,” says Sport Bay of Plenty chief executive, Wayne Werder.

“An average adult will spend 60% of their waking hours at work.

“So the workplace is the perfect place to introduce a physical activity programme to limit the affects of stress and the onset of serious illnesses like diabetes, cancer and heart disease,” says Wayne.

Sport Bay of Plenty, a charitable trust and non-profit organisation, was established in 1987 and has grown to become a substantial provider of services benefiting the sporting, recreational, business and leisure interests of the Bay of Plenty communities.

As part of their Active Lifestyles and Health approach, Sport Bay of Plenty provides the following services for businesses:

• Green Prescription services (personal support to get involved in sport and recreation)

• Walking programmes and links to walking groups/clubs

• Bike Wise and links for local bike groups and clubs

• Ideas and information about the most appropriate sport and recreation options for a workplace team

All businesses need to do to get involved is contact their local Sport Bay of Plenty office on:

Tauranga 07 578 0016Rotorua 07 348 4125 Whakatane 07 308 8304

Why physical activity in the workplace?

Upcoming Events

WORKWELL TEAM

Up to one in five people will become ill with influenza every year.

The influenza (flu) vaccines are 70% to 90% effective in healthy adults, reduce sick leave and are therefore cost effective for employees. Contact your local GP to discuss options for your business or for more information go to www.influenza.org.nz

Meet your WorkWell Advisors

Michelle Barns

“Overall wellbeing is something we should all be able to experience, and as a WorkWell Advisor I am here to offer support and guidance to help achieve it for your workforce,” says Michelle.

Meghan Cooper

“I am passionate about health and happiness in the workplace because work can have such a big impact on peoples health and happiness at home,” says Meghan.

Theresa ThompsonProgramme Leader

“I’m really excited to be part of a team that can help businesses create a work environment where their employees want to be,” says Theresa.

Nathaniel Walker

“The workplace is central to many people’s lives, so it makes sense that health and happiness in the workplace is crucial for people’s wellbeing, growth and success,” says Nathaniel.

Working from offices in Tauranga, Whakatane and Rotorua all our advisors are trained to support WorkWell member businesses.

4 May – TaurangaIntroducing WorkWell Information Seminar

WorkWell Provider Workshop

12 May – Whakatane Introducing WorkWell Information Seminar

WorkWell Provider Workshop

20 May – Rotorua Introducing WorkWell Information Seminar

WorkWell Provider Workshop

31 May World No Tobacco Day

Rotorua Office: PO Box 12060, 1st floor, 1166 Amohau Street P. 07 349 3520 F. 07 346 0105Tauranga Office: PO Box 2121, 2 Devonport Road P. 07 577 3774 F. 07 578 0883Whakatane Office: PO Box 241, Cnr Stewart & Garaway Streets P. 07 306 0720 F. 07 306 0987

Enquiries: FREEPHONE. 0800 221 555 E. work.well@bopdhb.govt.nz

Disclaimer: The material in this newsletter is not necessarily the view of Toi Te Ora – Public Health Service. Copywrite: Extracts from this newsletter may be reprinted with acknowledgement.

Register online at www.workwell.health.nz for free access to our workshops and free support and advice from a WorkWell Advisor.