Lochaber Housing Association introduced Healthy Working Lives to promote and support the physical and mental health, safety, and general wellbeing of staff in the workplace. The organisation believes that employee health and wellbeing matters.. Taking part in activities provides a break from the normal routines and creates a positive workplace culture.
Challenges
- Staff are office based, based at various locations or home workers which can make it difficult for everyone to get involved.
- Participation depends on employees having the time, confidence and motivation to participate.
- Charities supported may be close to the heart of some employees.
Successes
- We hold baking days and raffles to raise awareness and funds for charities including Simba, Alzheimer’s Scotland, and Motor Neurone Disease. Raising awareness and encouraging staff to support charities empowers staff with knowledge for their own wellbeing while making a meaningful contribution to the charity. Taking part helps reduce stress and raising money for charity makes people feel happy.
- Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland came to the organisation and gave a presentation on promoting staff awareness and the importance of wellbeing and speaking out if unwell.
- The Healthy Working Lives team asked all staff to wear something red and donate to British Heart Foundation. Those who could took part in a quiz about the charity.
- Staff are invited to get involved in other quizzes. We hold these in person, on Teams and provide paper copies for staff that can’t attend.
- Carol singing at Christmas to raise money for Save The Children. This brings staff together and encourages teamwork and social interaction.
- Sweepstakes encourages conversation and gives low-pressure fun and stress relief.
- Step Count Challenges with Paths for All – staff are invited to take part by grouping into teams and downloading an app which tracks daily movement. The challenge proved very popular, boosted fitness, morale and workplace connection.
- Mikeysline, a local mental health and suicide prevention charity came to the office with a presentation. They have a mobile support service, a kitted-out van that they take out to rural communities and they kindly provided staff with access to observe where people can receive one-to-one advice and where people can open up.
- An Action for Happiness calendar is circulated monthly, focusing on practical evidence-based habits that improve mental wellbeing, health and social connection.
What staff say
Staff noted that the Step Count Challenges motivated them to be more active in and out of work and fostered some friendly competition, boosted engagement and built stronger relationships between staff.
Baking days are very popular, the home-made sausage rolls and empire biscuits often steal the show and staff say they enjoy taking time out to catch up with
colleagues.
Staff who attended appreciated the presentations from Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland and Mikeysline.
Staff say they like that participation is voluntary.