A Health Advocate is someone who is passionate about health and wellbeing, wants to help raise awareness of health topics, and contribute to developing a positive wellbeing culture in the workplace - and even beyond. This can be anyone in the organisation, regardless of role or experience. The Health Advocate role is voluntary, and can be a great addition to a CV. It is a good opportunity to develop and practice skills such as communication, persuasion and motivating others.
At the plant, we really wanted to support our Employees Health and Wellbeing as we transitioned back to normal business, following the Global Pandemic. This award provided us with the structure we needed to develop and launch the Health and Wellbeing plant wide strategy.
Not only does the award provide us with a criteria and structure to follow, it also allows us to focus on topics which we may not have considered previously. In addition, it provides us a network with other local businesses to allow us to benchmark and share best practices.
"We loved the fact that the award has a local focus about wellbeing in the North-East. The framework it provides is exceptional.
The support and network are invaluable. You don't feel like you're starting from scratch, there's always someone with an idea of what they've tried.
The portal is great. It has a huge number of resources and it's easy to use and access. It's helped us with campaigns where we've less experience, and they're now part of our annual calendar".
The award is a declaration of our commitment to building a healthy and happy workplace culture for every employee. Designing a positive and engaging health and wellbeing offer where health inequalities are reduced is so important to us and we know we will achieve this with the support of BHAWA.
The award process provides structure for Better Health at Work. It provides support, guidance and networking opportunities to learn and improve. The opportunity to collaborate and hear about others practice across the region is always inspiring, we always come away buzzing with ideas.
We joined the scheme to help us improve the health & wellbeing of our workforce not only at work but also at home. The campaigns and areas that we cover are varied and we try to include the workforces family and friends wherever possible.
The award is very well structured there is lots of information on the BHAWA website and we have lots of help at support. It has ensured that our organisations' Health & Wellbeing agenda is structured and well thought out.
To continue to embed Health and Wellbeing in our workforce and to promote and support them to lead healthy lifestyles at work and also at home with their families.
The award gives us structure to assist us in our Health & Wellbeing meetings, giving us the resources and knowledge to lead different campaigns and events to help support our workplace. The award supports our Health & Wellbeing Strategy.
"The Award allows us to address a wide range of health topics, from mental health and stress to physical activity and nutrition and provides a structure to ensure each topic includes several initiatives each year.
These campaigns and initiatives help raise awareness and promote healthier lifestyle choices among University employees.
BHAWA has provided a solid foundation for our Health and Wellbeing Action Plan and underpins our organisational Health and Wellbeing Strategy. Pursuing the award (Maintaining Excellence) ensures that the Health and Wellbeing of our staff remains a top priority as we share information and resources and deliver meaningful campaigns."
