FAQs

The accreditation element on this programme provides a framework and structure that allows you to implement health and wellbeing initiatives within your workplace and encourages growth overtime, making sustainable behaviour change across your workforce. There are many benefits to creating opportunity in the workplace for employees to engage in health and wellbeing activity including:

• Improving employee morale
• Increasing employee productivity and retention
• Reducing absence rates
• Saving your business money

To make the implementation of this programme a success we will ask you to nominate a Workplace Health Lead within your organisation, they will take the leading role on the implementation of the action plan and be the point of contact for our Workplace Team.

The Workplace lead will require some working time allocated to this role, we would suggest between 1-2 days a month, although this can be flexible based on the need in your business. Their time would be used ad-hoc, and would involve working towards bespoke health and wellbeing action for your business an may include promoting materials or organising activities within your organisation.

Organisations are able to work through actions and progress through the accreditation tiers at their own pace, however the workplace team will contact the lead at least every 3 months to provide support and check for updates. This continued contact is required for the ongoing continuation on the scheme.

All aspects of the programme are accessed completely free of charge, including the offer of access to the platform, training for your employees, employee survey reports and advertising and promotion.

Training that we promote will also include some from our partners, these therefore may have a cost attached but will be additional to our training offer and not compulsory. Furthermore, allowing time for employees to engage with health and wellbeing in the workplace can in turn reduce absence rates and increase productivity of your workforce.

As part of the workplace tier of the programme, you will have the option of nominating employees to receive training to become Workplace Health Champions.

These individuals will receive Mental health Awareness and Making Every Contact Count (MECC) training to help give them the confidence to initiate wellbeing conversations with colleagues, signpost to health and wellbeing information and support the Workplace Health Lead.

Training is completely free and you can nominate up to 5 champions within your organisation. Champions will also be able to work towards your bespoke action plan for the Workplace and Excellence Tiers of the Herts Healthy Workplace programme.

After completing the foundation tier of the programme, organisations will be required to ask their employees to complete a short 5-10 minute survey which will gain information on their own health and wellbeing, their perceptions of the current support available to them and an opportunity to provide suggestions for improvement.

From the information, the HCC Workplace Team will produce a bespoke report for the business which will provide a unique insight into employee wellbeing and help guide specific actions for your organisation for the Workplace and Excellence award tiers. The survey is completely anonymous for employees.

Employees gain access after the Foundation tier of the programme is completed and are able to access a wealth of Health and Wellbeing resources including training, services and information on topics covering mental, physical, financial and social health and wellbeing.

Employers have access to these resources but are also able to use the platform to complete their bespoke action plans to work through the different tiers of the Herts Healthy Workplace programme. Employers can save and return to their action plans as many times as they wish and are able to contact the HCC Workplace Team for support.

Businesses can contact the HCC Workplace Team at anytime via email at: Workplace.Health@hertfordshire.gov.uk

The team will be happy to provide information via email, phone conversation or an online meeting.

Don’t worry, if you don’t meet the criteria for this programme, we can still assist you. Get in contact with us and we will be able to talk you through all the ways we can help your business support employee wellbeing.