Standard Bank rewarded for investing in the wellbeing of staff

Tuesday 17 November 2015

Standard Bank in Jersey has been recognised for putting the health and wellbeing of its staff at the very centre of the business.

The bank won the Rossborough Healthcare International Ltd Award for Best Health & Wellbeing Initiative at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s Jersey Branch Awards on Saturday night.

Standard Bank’s Wellness at Work initiative, which was launched in 2013, is a comprehensive programme designed to improve the health, wellbeing and morale of staff. Built on a strong foundation of providing wide-ranging benefits to staff, including private health cover and counselling support, Wellness to Work has made a tangible contribution to the business – not only has employee engagement increased substantially but also health-related absenteeism has reduced by 71 per cent since the initiative was introduced.

As part of the Wellness at Work programme, the bank has invested in standing desks, encouraged cycling to work safely and promoted ‘walking meetings’ to improve mobility.

Events have been held on a regular basis to improve physical and mental health. These have included: exercise classes, juicing demonstrations, sports massage, blood pressure testing, talks about ergonomic/posture-alignment, help to give up smoking, preferential gym rates, yoga, meditation and stress management advice.

In choosing Standard Bank as award-winner, the judges said: “This organisation impressed us with the creative and innovative ways in which they develop the wellbeing of their staff. We felt they were committed to making a healthy and positive difference to their staff which was tangible for all to see and evidenced by impact measures including a reduction of health related absenteeism”.

The award was accepted on behalf of Standard Bank by Tina Monro, Head of Human Capital at Standard Bank Offshore.

She said: “We’re delighted that our Wellness at Work initiative has been recognised by the CIPD Jersey Branch. Standard Bank has always valued the contribution of its staff but we also recognise that, in today’s busy and rapidly changing world, our mental and physical health is of paramount importance.

“This programme has also been an investment and we have already seen a measurable return through greater engagement and fewer staff off work through illness. Caring for your staff’s wellbeing is not only the right thing to do; it also makes sound business sense.”