Leading Antrim based interior fit-out specialists, Marcon Fit-Out, are reaping the rewards of the free Work Well Live Well programme, delivered by Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke (NICHS) and funded by the Public Health Agency (PHA), which is available to local businesses aiming to improve workplace health and wellbeing.
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in seismic changes to both the way that work is carried out in many industries, and to the state of the job market. With many organisations experiencing difficulty attracting and maintaining staff due to changes in employee expectations, business owners have been seeking new ways to step up to address these issues. Marcon have found the Work Well Live programme has supported them to scale these hurdles.
Colleen Scullion, Business Improvement & Systems Manager at Marcon, says, “We are proud of the culture we are creating through the Work Well Live Well Programme. We believe prioritising employee health and wellbeing is critical to people achieving their full potential.”
“We initially signed up to the programme to help us build on creating a positive working environment where individuals and the organisation can thrive. Our aim was to increase staff health, wellbeing, and engagement and to put together a structured wellbeing strategy. So far, we have seen many benefits of the programme, including increased collaboration between employees and teams, and it has aided recruitment and staff retention. Staff feel valued and that they are being given the opportunity to contribute.”
Work Well Live Well is a free workplace health and wellbeing support programme delivered by Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke (NICHS) and funded by the Public Health Agency (PHA). The aim of Work Well Live Well is to help local workplaces to improve the health and wellbeing of their employees through personalised support. As part of the programme, NICHS support organisations with carrying out a health and wellbeing survey, developing a bespoke, 3-year action plan for their team as well as providing access to training, webinars, resources and networking opportunities.
Colleen continues, “The Work Well Live Well programme has been an excellent source of support for promoting and improving the health and wellbeing of the Marcon team. The NICHS team have supported us with surveying the wellness needs in our business, providing Health Champion and Mental Health First Aider Training for staff, and most importantly, devising and executing a full wellbeing strategy.”
Colleen says, “So far this year, we have delivered several wellbeing initiatives for staff, from small, simple actions to support health such as introducing Fruit Bowl Mondays, to larger offerings and commitments like offering health talks and full health assessments. We are also delighted to have installed defibrillators in our offices and workshop, and on majority of our sites.”
“Feedback from our staff has been fantastic. The programme has encouraged employees to get active and staff have taken part in several charity events, including a skipping challenge which raised over £500, and some are now training for the Belfast Marathon in April. The health assessments provided as part of the programme also flagged an employee that needed to see their GP urgently.”
To other businesses considering signing up, Colleen says, “Go for it! The NICHS staff are brilliant in guiding you through the scheme and are always on hand to help wherever required.”
Mark McElroy, Director at Marcon, added, “Over the last few years there is a definite focus on employees physical and mental health. We want to foster a culture that enables positive mental health and wellbeing and inclusion. Recognising the importance of employee wellbeing is essential. As well as morally being the right thing to do for the health and wellbeing of the team, it also improves productivity and reduces staff turnover. It’s great to see the team taking advantage of these initiatives which they have been finding beneficial.”
Emma McCrudden, Work Well Live Well Programme Manager at Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke says; “We are your local charity leading the fight against chest, heart and stroke illnesses. We recognise that the workplace is a priority setting for influencing the physical and mental wellbeing of employees and delivering the PHA funded Work Well Live Well programme is just one way that we are working to promote good health in workplaces across Northern Ireland to prevent serious illness in the long term.”
“Marcon is a great example of a workplace which wanted to make a positive change and put staff health first. The initiatives put in place by Marcon have been a great success and have made a real difference to the health and wellbeing of the team. We are now recruiting new workplaces to take part in the programme and would encourage organisations of all types and sizes to get in touch to find out how Work Well Live Well can help them.”
For more information and to register for Work Well Live Well, visit nichs.org.uk/workwelllivewell
