Local logistics and transport business, Manfreight Limited in Craigavon, had some serious concerns about the toll that the pandemic and Brexit has taken on the physical and mental health of its employees.
Determined to make a positive change and to put staff health first, Manfreight signed up to Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke’s Work Well Live Well programme.
Work Well Live Well, a Public Health initiative, is a free health and wellbeing support service run by Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke (NICHS). NICHS health professionals help to identify health risks in the workplace and work with you to create and deliver a bespoke action plan to help improve employee wellbeing.
Changes made through the plan can be as simple as greater access to healthy snacks or incentivised exercise, but the programme also concentrates on improving mental health and sleep, managing stress and reducing risk factors associated with heart disease.
Fidelma Carter, Director of Public Health at NICHS, explains; ‘There’s never been a more crucial time to check on your employee’s health – the pandemic will have affected people, both mentally and physically, in ways you may not have considered. The average worker will spend almost 85,000 hours at work over the course of their career. It is vital that those hours are safe, happy and healthy.’
Michael Rennie, Health and Safety Manager at Manfreight, is a strong advocate for the employee health programme;
‘We are delighted to be taking part in the Work Well Live Well programme with NI Chest Heart & Stroke. We have completed our staff wellbeing survey and have already taken steps to action suggestions. Two staff members Aisling and Paddy will be trained as Workplace Health Champions and together with NICHS will develop an action plan. This will help to guide us on actioning wellbeing areas that are a priority for our staff. We look forward to next steps and building on our journey for health and wellbeing supports for staff at Manfreight whether on the road or at the yard.’
Ask yourself - how well are your employees? Commit to improving the health and wellbeing of your staff today and register your workplace for Work Well Live Well. Visit www.nichs.org.uk/workwelllivew... or email healthpromotion@nichs.org.uk.
