Gas distribution network Cadent Gas takes a data and risk-based approach to employee wellbeing.
It has 6,000 employees, based both in the field and at its central office. The firm’s wellbeing strategy is centred around its physical, financial and mental wellbeing, and occupational health pillars. It focuses its campaigns and activities around these, using data to deliver the right interventions to target its employees. It also has a strategic roadmap in place over the next three years to look at risks, where these come from, and how to support employees to address these each year.
Cadent uses its Safe and Well framework as an annual culture change programme and to inform its wellbeing strategy. It asks staff specific questions around health, wellbeing and safety to understand what is impacting them, and then designs its wellbeing plans, initiatives and roadmap around this.
This gives the organisation a good steer on where it should place its focus and what employees are asking for support with, explains Jon Appleyard, senior wellbeing manager at Cadent Gas.
“As a result, we’ve been able to show improvements in employees reaching out, [because] there’s been a 22% to 23% increase in people accessing wellbeing support,” he says. ”This includes free physiotherapy, a free virtual GP service, free health and wellbeing checks, free and reduced gym memberships, wellbeing platform WellHub, health and wellbeing leaflets, and apps to promote our products and services.”
Cadent uses its annual Safe and Well survey to identify where its wellbeing focus needs to be, and then overlays the business case for it to implement any initiatives. It is its biggest marker or indicator of any improvement.
“We assess whether it is linked to reducing absence, improving engagement or employees’ perception of wellbeing,” says Appleyard. ”This helps us shape the business case to demonstrate health and wellbeing improvements. The business case is implied in that if we’ve got happier, healthy people, we’ve got less turnover, we’ve got less absenteeism, and a more engaged workforce.”
Through its wellbeing initiatives, the organisation is aiming for year-on-year improvement in its survey scores, as well as individual wellbeing improvement from its interventions. It looks at how many people have engaged with initiatives, whether these have been a success, and the outcomes it has to show a difference has been made to staff wellbeing.
Cadent’s key stakeholders for this are its director of safety, health and environment, its chief people officer, who champions financial wellbeing and benefits, and its chief financial officer, who is its board level wellbeing sponsor and sits on the safe and well steering group.
As well as having wellbeing and reward champions, it is also recruiting financial wellbeing super users, because its staff are more likely to talk to their peers, to use as advocates and help push the message of available support to the rest of the organisation.
Cadent also manages and monitors access to its benefits platform and which benefits people choose, explains Kelly Ewell, head of reward.
“We regularly monitor our benefits take up with our providers, along with listening to feedback and evidence from employees,” she says. ”We ensure our benefits platform is linked to and mirrors our wellbeing pillars, while ensuring our benefits packages can be tailored to suit the needs of employees dependant on their current lifestyle requirements.”
