Help meet business aims
Case study 1 – Cadbury Trebor Bassett
Cadbury Trebor Bassett engaged the services of Nuffield Proactive Health (NPH) to ensure the wellbeing of 260 of its employees through a six month period during which their workload had increased while implementing an IT project.
Dr Paul Kanas, head of occupational health at Cadbury Trebor Bassett, said: "Our priority is our employees’ health and wellbeing and the IT project team were under pressure to deliver results within challenging timescales. We maintained the project team’s health, but in most cases improved it at a time when they were under increased pressure."
By encouraging good diet, exercise and healthy living, the NPH wellness programme resulted in 58% of participants increasing the amount they exercised and a 5% fall in body fat for the group. Almost two-thirds (63%) reported a better work-life balance at the end of the programme, while 58% of the group’s smokers quit the habit or reduced the number of cigarettes being smoked.
In addition, 70% reported that they had an improved perception of their employer and half said they felt less stressed, despite the increased pressure. As a result of the initiative, the IT project deadline was met, absenteeism due to sickness was significantly reduced and productivity was greatly enhanced.
Case study 2 – Treloar Trust
Treloar Trust in Alton, Hampshire, is a college for young people with disabilities. It has more than 750 employees, ranging from care staff, teachers and therapists, to nurses, doctors and psychologists who provide support for the 320 students.
Caroline Blanchette, human resources director, says: "The care needs of the students place huge demands on [staff], whether physically, emotionally or mentally and, although the work is rewarding, it can at times affect those working in close contact with the students in many different ways."
The trust was experiencing absence issues, the main cause of which was musculoskeletal problems. Other factors included colds and flu, and stress and depression. To help combat this, Treloar put an occupational health strategy in place that included employing an occupational health nurse onsite once a week during term-time, plus additional options such as a health insurance cash plan, a retained counselling service, an external 24-hour support telephone line, referred physiotherapy treatment, discounted health club membership, no-smoking support groups and flu vaccinations.
Sickness absence decreased by 900 days a year. Absences caused by stress and depression, and musculoskeletal illnesses also declined, by 2.36% and 7.18% respectively.