Agenda item

Surjit Nagra, Hr Business Advisor, updated the Committee on the Council’s initiatives to support the Wellbeing agenda, as part of the wider Workforce Strategy.

The Committee was advised that the Wellbeing Project had been re-launched following key personnel from the original project leaving the organisation. A ‘Wellbeing Champion’ had then been drawn from the members of the last Management Development Programme, as it was agreed that the skills they had acquired during the previous programme would aid them in supporting the new project.

A new project board met in April 2014 to agree new terms of reference, project leads, and key initiatives, and over the last 9 months the group had supported several Wellbeing Initiatives, which included:

Wellbeing Calendar – posted on Slough’s internal website, to notify staff of forthcoming Wellbeing activities.

Love Your Office Campaign – developed as a response to considerable workplace absences due to infections, the campaign focussed on making the office a healthier place. Sanitising wipes were placed around the office so that staff could clean their desks regularly, thereby preventing the spread of germs and infections. Small business cards were also placed on every employee’s desk, at all sites, to promote the initiative.

Workout At Work Day – all staff were invited to join a free outdoor workout hosted by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. This was supported by the distribution of leaflets highlighting simple exercises that staff could do while sitting at their desk. In addition, a free one hour lunchtime yoga session was provided, run by a qualified instructor from SBC’s Lifelong Learning team. The session was aimed at beginners and provided a gentle introduction to yoga. Both activities were well attended and indicated that staff were keen to keep fit and active.

Health Checks – the NHS provided free, confidential one to one health checks with health professionals, which covered issues relating to cholesterol, diabetes, blood pressure, and weight. Staff were able to discuss these issues with the NHS professional and receive advice and information booklets, where necessary. The NHS provided SBC with a summary report which highlighted that employee health was affected by poor diet and not enough physical exercise. The data from the summary report would be used when considering future initiatives.

Physical Activity Sessions – Following the health Checks undertaken, efforts were made to address the physical activity of staff members. In order to promote further activity, Montem Leisure Centre offered six weeks of fitness sessions at a reduced rate of 99p per session. Sessions included classes for Zumba, Spin and Yoga, whilst swimming at Montem and Langley Leisure Centres was provided for free. All sessions were well attended though Zumba proved to be the most popular. As such, Zumba sessions were continuing at the slightly increased rate of £2 per session.

Flu Jabs – Following 2014/15 Guidance from the Department of Health, Slough had promoted flu vaccinations to all staff that work with vulnerable clients, via the Occupational Health contract.

Future initiatives - the Employee Project Board had identified further initiatives which included:

·  The Commit to Quit project, to encourage staff to quite smoking;

·  Stress Control Workshops, hosted by Public Health and CMHT colleagues;

·  Increased Physiotherapy Sessions and Back Care Clinics, to address high levels of sickness absence within the Wellbeing directorate.

The Committee requested further detail on the success of the flu jabs in improving absences.

Resolved –   (a)   That the report be noted.

(b)  That further detail on flu jabs and absence statistics be brought to the next meeting.