Let's improve health and well-being

Health and well-being at Granby

We’re aware that, generally, people might not consider emotional or mental health issues as illness or disability, even if they are long term conditions. While there’s more openness about depression, stress and anxiety than ever before in our society, we know there can be more – the statistics say everything.

As an ethical employer that cares about its people, well-being is higher on our agenda than ever before. We’re actively seeking to understand mental health and well-being as it impacts the people we work side-by-side with day after day. We’ve made some positive inroads – here’s where we are with this Social Value theme so far.

Improving health and well-being – objectives

• Support health and well-being in the workforce
• Influence support for health and well-being

What is good ‘health and well-being’?

A good, short definition could be ‘Well-being is about feeling good and functioning well and comprises an individual’s experience of their life’ (Department of Health).

Other national and international organisations have a similar take – The World Health Organisation’s stance is particularly notable: “The WHO constitution states: Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’.”

How we’re improving health and well-being at Granby

In time, as we feel our way deeper into this theme, we’ll be able to develop our own way of articulating what our objectives are for when it comes to the health and well-being of the people in our lives, from our teams to our communities.

• As an organisation and individuals, we’re aware of the various mental and health issues and potential triggers that exist in the workplace, such as stress, anxiety, lack of a voice, lack of autonomy, unhealthy working practices and excessive hours.
• We encourage staff to communicate with the leadership team and all channels are open, including face to face meetings.
• Regular staff surveys encourage staff to record their happiness levels at work and to identify any issues that may be having an adverse impact on their well being.
• We have started training staff on mental health in the workplace and this December we have Health Champion training with Business Health Matters. We’ve implemented measures to ensure that the people who work for us are able to have a voice, that stress is acknowledged and mitigated against, and that the workplace is a healthy and collaborative environment.
• Concerns raised by staff are recorded and acted upon. Feedback is supplied through various channels including noticeboards and newsletters.
• We adopt the best practices defined in the Mental Health At Work framework to ensure staff are empowered to express themselves and feel part of a collaborative effort in a safe, nurturing and developing environment.
• Internally, positive behaviour is identified and acknowledged through an Employee of the Quarter scheme. This is an inclusive award and our colleagues vote for any member of staff they believe deserves the award, encouraging a collaborative effort towards the rewarding process.
• We’re encouraging everyone who works at Granby to come along on monthly walks around our lovely countryside – getting out in nature and exercising both have a positive effect on mood, and getting together builds stronger support networks.
• We’ve launched an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), available to our staff, their partner and any children aged between 16 and 24. An EAP is a confidential employee benefit designed to help people deal with personal and professional problems that could be affecting home life or work life, health, and general well-being.

How we measure our impact on well-being

We collate, analyse and report on our HR data – qualitative and quantitative – to measure our impact on health and well-being:

• Percentage of all companies in the supply chain under the contract to have implemented measures to improve the physical and mental health and well-being of employees.
• Percentage and number of all companies in the supply chain under the contract to have implemented the 6 standards in the Mental Health at Work commitment. This includes promoting an open culture around mental health and prioritising mental health in the workplace.
• Percentage and number of all companies in the supply chain under the contract to have implemented the mental health enhanced standards, for companies with more than 500 employees, in Thriving at Work. This is an independent review of mental health and employers, on behalf of the government.
• Number of people-hours spent supporting local community integration, such as volunteering and other community-led initiatives, under the contract.