Healthy employees make healthy businesses

Healthy employees make healthy businesses

Over 140 business people and health practitioners gathered at Lagan Valley Island on Wednesday 23 January to learn more about  Assessing and Addressing Health and Wellbeing at Work in a conference organised by the Public Health Agency and Business in the Community.

The evidence shows that having a workplace health and wellbeing programme in place is good for both employees and the employer.  This event offered the opportunity to  share innovative, fun and creative ideas from business to business along with sessions where people could ‘ask the expert’ on specific subjects. Delegates were provided with a wealth of materials, suggestions and access to toolkits which they were encouraged to try out in their own organisations.

Dr Eddie Rooney, Chief Executive, Public Health Agency said: Employees benefit both physically and mentally from being in a positive  work environment, workplace health  also makes economic sense, as employers benefit from a reduction in illness-related absenteeism, improved working atmosphere and a rise in productivity. The financial gains for employers far outweigh the investment required in workplace health initiatives, proving that workplace health is good for health and good for business.”

Tanya Kennedy, Workplace Director, Business in the Community added: “Responsible businesses such as Translink, Asda, Woodvale, AV Browne and Woodvale Construction shared their experiences with the audience today and heard how these organisations have revamped their approach to health and wellbeing and reaped the benefits through improved attendance and performance of their staff and a boost to their bottom line.

“With around 796,000 people employed in Northern Ireland (44% of the population), the workplace offers many advantages to positively impacting lifestyle choices and it is fast becoming a platform for the prevention and reduction of poor health and serious illness that can no longer be underestimated. Working with the Public Health Agency to deliver a conference of this calibre has enabled businesses to avail of materials both from government and from business-to-business networking.”

If you’re an employer and need help with addressing the health needs of your business, please e-mail melanie.doherty@bitcni.org.uk for more information.

For more information on Business in the Community, visit www.bitcni.org.uk

Notes to the editor
  • The Public Health Agency is committed to addressing the causes and associated inequalities of preventable ill-health and lack of wellbeing
  • As we face a difficult economic climate, the PHA will redouble its efforts to improve health and wellbeing by working with partners in many different sectors, as well as directly with communities to make effective use of collective resources.
  • The PHA has four key themes to our work and these include, Give every child and young person the best start in life; Ensure a decent standard of living for all; Build sustainable communities; Make healthy choices easier.
  • Business in the Community stands for responsible business.
  • We have a core membership of 850+ companies throughout the UK, including 75% of the FTSE 100. More than 250 of these companies are members in Northern Ireland and members employ almost 40% of the workforce in Northern Ireland.
  • We work with companies to inspire, engage, support, and challenge them to continually improve their impact on society.
  • The President of Business in the Community is HRH The Prince of Wales and the Chair of the Northern Ireland Board is Roy Adair, Belfast Harbour. Mark Price is the national Chair of Business in the Community.

Reference: Economic times - (PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Building the case for wellness. London: Health Work and Wellbeing Executive; 2008.)