Newcastle’s Life has struck gold after scooping a major award for its commitment to boost staff health and wellbeing.
Life has been awarded the Gold Better Health at Work Award, in recognition of its ongoing work to promote healthy lifestyles in the workplace, building on the Silver accreditation achieved in 2022.
Life’s wellbeing strategy was developed with staff consultation and focuses on four core areas: physical, mental, financial and social wellbeing. As well as improving morale, the initiatives contribute to lowering levels of absenteeism and increasing productivity.
Initiatives championed by Life over the last year include exercise sessions and massages, financial support webinars, stress management podcasts and sleep awareness sessions. The team at Life also enjoy extra time off for wellbeing pursuits, free health checks and opportunities to feed into future campaigns.
Linda Conlon, Life’s Chief Executive said: “People are our greatest asset and it’s a no-brainer that creating a workplace culture that values the health and happiness of our team reaps rewards all round.
“This approach not only benefits the team but also the experience we provide for our visitors.”
The Better Health at Work Award has been developed by workplace specialists in the NHS with Public Health North East, to foster health and wellbeing initiatives in the workplace.
Awarding the accolade, the assessor concluded: “Concerted efforts have been made to embed health and wellbeing through policy, procedure and practice.
“Health and wellbeing is firmly on the agenda at Life, with plenty of opportunities for consultation and employee voices to be heard and addressed. Well done and congratulations to all involved.”
Louise Richardson, Executive Support Manager said:
“We are delighted to receive this award. It’s testament to the commitment of the team and is a morale boost for all.”
Life is also signed up to the NHS Charter for Employers Positive about Mental Health, which encourages open and supportive discussion of mental health issues.
The award is another feather in the cap for Life, after recently being independently rated best in England for visitor experience, ahead of destinations including the National Portrait Gallery, London Transport Museum and Bletchley Park.