Seqwater’s “Be Healthy, Be Wealthy” staff wellbeing program has incorporated initiatives such as:
- Wellbeing Assessments
- Executive Health Evaluations
- Skin checks
- Flu vaccinations
- ‘10,000 Steps’ exercise challenge
- Health seminars & awareness programs such as Sun Safety, Men’s Health Week, Mental Health Week, 'Think Safe - Drink Safe' and Summer Safety
Out of 51 participants who participated in 2009 and 2011 Wellbeing Assessments the following results were found:
- 55% experienced weight loss
- 49% had improved cholesterol
- 39% had significant improvements in blood pressure (14% had a worse result)
- 29% went from unacceptable to acceptable Physical Activity
- 69% improved their nutrition or remained at the same desired score
- 20% improved their alcohol consumption
- Out of the 6 participants who smoked in 2009, 2 people gave up smoking
Tracy Co, the Seqwater program coordinator is pleased to see the results and had the following feedback about the program:
“Thank you for running the Wellbeing Assessments again this year. The sessions were very well received and a number of staff commented on how the Wellbeing Assessments in 2009 helped them with health improvement and losing weight. WCH consultants provided practical advice and were very knowledgeable and professional. The consultants were absolute life (and time) savers when it came to setting up, tailoring and promoting the health programs, especially when organising the programs with our staff across multiple sites! Through the WCH report from the Wellbeing Assessments in 2009, we were able to highlight the health “hot spots” to focus on. The programs from WCH have supported the culture of health and safety we are continuing to build at Seqwater, through a very individualised and tailored approach."
If you would like WCH’s expertise to deliver a results-based wellness program, email wellness@weshealth.com.au or contact Louise Reeve on (07) 3234 2609.
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea is a major fundraising event created by Cancer Council Australia, to support the fight against cancer. It has been one of Australia’s largest and most successful campaigns, raising over $50 million dollars since its first cup of tea in 1994.
Wesley Corporate Health is conducting our own Morning Tea and you can donate online at our event page: http://qld.cancercouncilfundraising.org.au/wesleymorningtea
Who wouldn’t enjoy morning tea? It is a tasty, fun and easy way to raise money for cancer research, prevention and support services for cancer patients and their families. Just one cup of tea and one dollar at a time can make a difference. There is no better excuse to take a break with your workmates or enjoy a delicious morning tea over a staff meeting!
The official date for the event is Thursday May 26, but you can hold your morning tea any day and at any time in May and June.
Some suggestions for a fun and successful morning tea include:
- Have a bake off competition
- Get staff to submit their healthiest morning tea recipe to create a company recipe book, which can be sold internally with a percentage of proceeds going to Cancer Council
- Request an entry fee donation to the morning tea
- Theme the event with a prize for the best effort
For more information on hosting an Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea event at your workplace, visit the website: http://www.biggestmorningtea.com.au/.
Cancer is a leading cause of death in Australia, with 1 in 2 people being diagnosed before the age of 85. An estimated 114,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in Australia in 2010, with the most common being prostate, colorectal (bowel), breast, melanoma and lung cancer.
It is estimated that more than 4000 cancer deaths annually are a result of poor diet, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and being overweight. Cancer Council Australia believes that around half of all cancer cases can be prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle such as:
- Eating a healthy balanced diet
- Doing regular physical activity
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Avoiding smoking
- Avoiding alcohol consumption or limiting to two standard drinks a day for both men and women, with two alcohol free days
Regular screening is also recommended to help detect cancer at an early stage when treatment is likely to be more effective. Screening programs are available nation wide for breast, cervical, bowel and prostate cancer. For more information on cancer facts and screening programs visit the Cancer Council website: http://www.cancer.org.au/home.htm.
For more information on Skin Cancer screening services, please visit the Wesley Corporate Health Website: http://www.weshealth.com.au/default.asp?PageID=68&n=Onsite+Skin+Checks
The Australian Heart Foundation has released a position statement on providing healthy workplace catering. Implementing a healthy catering policy will help to drive cultural change and ensure long-term commitment to healthier food and drink choices in the workplace.
Why bother with healthy eating at work? What we eat and drink affects not just our health but our work performance too. Prospective benefits for employers include:
- Improved health of staff
- Increased productivity
- Lower rates of absenteeism and quicker return to work after illness
- Increased physical capacity, energy levels and mental alertness among employees
- Improved morale and working atmosphere
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- A positive corporate image
Examples of the types of foods that should be provided through a healthy workplace catering initiative include:
- Plenty of vegetables and fruit, including dried fruit
- Wholegrain breakfast cereals, pasta and noodles; wholegrain or wholemeal bread; and brown rice
- Legumes; pulses, including canned beans, dried peas, dried beans and chickpeas; and lentils
- Lean meats, fish and poultry with skin removed; limit processed meats
- Reduced, low or no fat dairy products (no cream)
- Boiled, poached or scrambled (no cream or butter) eggs
- Spreads and margarines made from canola, sunflower or olive oil: no butter
- Oven-baked, grilled, boiled, stewed or poached foods; limit deep fried foods
- Foods with no added salt, such as plain, unsalted nuts
Ideally, healthier foods should be well promoted, displayed in a prominent and attractive manner, and competitively priced.
For more information on developing a healthy workplace catering policy follow this link:
http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/workplace-catering.pdf
How Wesley Corporate Health can help you!
Serving healthier food in the workplace is an important part of promoting health and wellbeing among your staff. To support a healthy workforce, healthier workplace catering would be more effective if initiated as part of a larger employee wellness program. WCH can help you plan, implement and evaluate programs that are evidence-based and results-driven. For assistance please call Louise on (07) 3234 2609 or visit http://www.weshealth.com.au/.
Winter weather patterns are not only a barrier to maintaining an exercise regime, but also may induce feelings of fatigue, lethargy and even depression among your staff.
In an effort to combat the cold temperatures, our bodies support the gain of extra “insulation”. By a physiological survival mechanism, our brains become less responsive to the sensation of satiety which leads to prolonged feeling of hunger.
For these reasons, many people gain an average of 2 – 3kgs over the winter months and then tend to keep it on and add to these extra kilos over time.
Seasonal Affective Disorder is a mood disorder where decreased access to sunlight over winter triggers depressed mood, increased sleep requirements and lethargy. While this disorder is normally isolated to areas further from the equator, encouraging your staff to get out of the office at lunch time will help them get the sunlight they need for adequate Vitamin D production. Research has shown that spending time in the sun can improve mood, vitality and help to stave off those winter blues. Allow flexible starting or finishing times so that staff may take enough time out during the day to be physically active; encouraging a work/life balance.
Welsey Corporate health has provided some tips to helping your employees stay active during the winter. WCH can assist you with planning and organising any of these initiatives:
- Provide your staff with a Wesley Corporate Health check to assess their general wellbeing status and provide individual guidance and motivation towards making some healthier lifestyle changes.
- Display information and motivational material on the benefits of physical activity and tips on how to keep active. Provide incentives or promote competitions to create awareness and motivate staff to increase their activity levels.
- Encourage employees to increase incidental activity and reduce their overall sitting time. Ideas to promote include:
- Using the stairways instead of the elevators
- Walking to colleagues desks instead of using email or phone
- Standing or walking while talking on the phone
- Taking a break from the computer every 30mins
- Turning your staff meetings into a walking or standing meeting
- Start a social sporting team such as netball, volleyball, soccer, basketball or even jogging or cycling groups. Being part of a team is great for motivation as you have social support and most of all it's fun! It also has a plus of promoting team bonding within the corporate environment.
- Start a walking group and promote exercise events and support staff in training towards these goals. Examples include:
- Gold Coast Biathlon Super Series (1.5km run - 750m swim - 2.5km run – 29th May, 26th
June, 24th July, 21st August)
- Bridge to Brisbane 5km or 10km walk/run charity event – Sunday September 11th, 2011
- Brissie to the Bay bike ride – June 26th (10km, 25km, 50km & 100km courses)
- Provide facilities such as bicycle racks, showers and change rooms and encourage staff to cycle to work or exercise throughout the day
- Encourage staff to join Brisbane’s City Cycle initiative and ride to work, meetings or the post office, rather than catch cabs or drive.
If you’d like help to coordinate and promote or assist with training programs your staff please contact Louise Reeve on (07) 3234 2609 or visit www.weshealth.com.au.
