Finalists announced for the 2019 Active Workplace of the Year Award

By GreaterSport | 11 November 2019 | TAGS: #GMSportsAwards, #ActiveWorkplaces, Active Workplaces

The Active Workplace of the Year Award recognises an employer for making a difference to their employees levels of activity during the working day.

Finalists

Salford City Council

Overseen by their Strategic Staff Health and Wellbeing group, Salford Council recognises the wider benefits of being more physically active through participation in the SMART Work Life Study, a two year study with Salford University which provides upright desks and championing more active behaviour.

They have developed their own marketing toolkit to encourage staff to move more during their working day with guidance on how to do this along with signposting. Volunteering along with physical activity sessions such as lunchtime aerobics, health walks and a couch to 5K group are available to all employees. Over 40’s health-checks are regularly offered by the Salford Health Improvement Service and later this year will see their Active Travel Hub built which will have electric and regular staff bicycles.

Rochdale Borough Council

Rochdale Borough Council supports employees to be physically active in partnership with Link4Life through a new staff wellbeing strategy, Your Workplace Wellbeing. Following a recent staff survey, there has been a drive to incorporate incidental activity into the working day. As a result, they have invested in lift covers to encourage stair usage, mapped out outdoor and indoor walking routes to promote The Daily Mile and developed a team of staff wellbeing champions who meet monthly to drive ideas forward.

In just a few months this has led to several weekly sessions in local leisure facilities and council offices at a significantly reduced rate. Working Wednesdays are being launched, with weekly updates on stair usage provided to create competition.

This is supported by investing time in communicating with staff face-to-face, the backing of senior leadership team and consistent opportunities for staff feedback.

Wigan and Leigh College

Wigan & Leigh College believe that the promotion of health and well-being can have an impact on establishing the College as an employer of choice.

The College has introduced a range of activities for staff including Race for Life, staff sports days, health walks at lunchtimes, tai chi, football challenges, golf events and regular organised bike rides. They also introduced the Movember campaign for staff to challenge themselves with their movement goals.

As well as the sessions put on in the college they have promotions with local gyms including discounts and free day passes, they provide health checks in conjunction with the local authority and run a popular cycle scheme in line with GM travel plans and survey.

The winner will be announced on Friday 15th November at the awards ceremony at The Point, Emirates Old Trafford.