A North East employer’s long-term commitment to its workforce’s health and well-being has helped it retain the highest level of accreditation in a regional health initiative.
Property and mining firm the Banks Group has been awarded the ‘Maintaining Excellence’ level for a second consecutive time in the Better Health At Work Awards, a partnership programme that is managed by the Northern TUC with the support and endorsement from Public Health England and local authorities across the North East and Cumbria.
The programme promotes health and wellbeing in workplaces, and celebrates the hard work and commitment of regional employers making the effort to improve the health of their workplaces and their employees.
More than 400 regional employers are now participating in the scheme, with the Banks Group is one of just a handful of regional employers to attain and then retain the ‘Maintaining Excellence’ standard, which it was first awarded two years ago.
The standard recognises firms that have been engaged with the Award for long enough to have achieved a pass at all levels via the completion of a criteria document, portfolio and full workplace assessment.
Banks first became involved with the Better Health At Work Awards in 2012 as a way of promoting health and well-being among their workers, as well as to their families, fellow employers and the wider community.
It has built a team of health advocates based across the business who meet every month to look at the different areas of physical and mental health on which its campaigns and activities might focus, and who have received bespoke training to ensure they can share their knowledge effectively among their colleagues.
Mental health first aiders also work across Banks’ different sites and are trained to spot any signs that individuals could benefit from some sort of assistance, while a library of information on dozens of health-related topics is available for everyone to access.
The Better Health At Work Awards require participants to have at least a three-year health strategy and to run at least five workplace campaigns every year, with Banks choosing to run more than ten events through 2025 which covered topics including mental health, fitness and well-being, and menopause in the workplace.
Outside speakers were also invited into the business to discuss issues including cancer and financial well-being.
Sarah Carr, who coordinates the Banks Group’s Better Health At Work programme alongside colleagues Becky Styles, Laura-Jane Foster and Jamilah Hassan, says: “The whole company has been really positive about Better Health At Work ever since we first signed up to it, and this enthusiasm has been a key part of reaching the Maintaining Excellence standard once again.
“Our team gains greater awareness of health issues and practical help in improving their own and their families’ well-being, while the company gets improved employee morale and engagement through all the activities we put on which hopefully result in a healthier workforce.
“We encourage everyone to take individual actions about the topics we cover, and to share the information we make available with their families and friends, so that it has the maximum possible positive impact across our community.
“As a long-term participant, we’d very much encourage other North East firms to look at the benefits that being part of this project would deliver for them and their staff.”
Nick Hobdey, group human resources director at the Banks Group, adds: “People are the greatest asset of any business and are naturally the key to its long-term success, so it makes clear sense for employers to take proactive steps to support them in every way possible.
“The quality of the work done by our Better Health At Work team and all our health advocates has a tangible impact on our business operations and we’re very pleased to be retaining this high-level accreditation once again.”
For further information, please visit www.betterhealthatworkaward.org.uk