Health and Well-Being at Royal Mail Group

Shaun DavisGroup Director of Safety, Health, Well-Being & Sustainability

Judith GrantGroup Head of Health and Well-Being

June 2015

Background

• Royal Mail Group directly employs 148,000 people in the UK (88% male).

• Royal Mail Group has an ageing population:40% aged over 50.8.5% aged under 30.

• Three main causes of sickness absence are mental health, musculoskeletal disorders and injury.

• We have seen increases in musculoskeletal and mental health absences over recent years.

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Business challenges• Deregulation;• Changing market;• Changing workplace;• Ageing workforce;• Long service;• A transactional OH service is not enough.

• New efficiencies;• Changes to sorting and delivery methods;• Innovative occupational health solutions to meet the changing

needs of the workforce;• Health and safety focus now widened to include Well-Being.

Innovations

Why invest in Well-Being?

• Benefits of workplace Well-Being: increased productivity; reduced number of sickness absences; reduced staff turnover and increased retention of skills; improved staff morale; reduced recruitment and training costs; improved company reputation as a ‘good employer’; and improved financial performance and competitiveness.

• Mental ill-health costs £26 billion (£8.4 billion in sickness absence, £15.1 billion for presenteeism and £2.4 billion in staff replacement costs), or £1035 annually for every employee in the UK (Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, 2014).

• ‘Presenteeism’ accounts for 1.5 times as much working time lost as absenteeism and costs more to employers because it is more common among higher-paid staff (Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health).

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Health and Well-Being at Royal Mail Group• Health and Well-Being sits within Safety, Health and Environment.• “SHE – managing quick accidents, and slow accidents”.• Positive HR Policies support demographic at Royal Mail Group:

Flexible working – elder care and child care, special leave, part-time working, job-sharing, and flexible hours.

• Consultation with the Trade Unions.• Health and Well-Being Board– set up to identify and address the

health risks to Royal Mail Group.• Working group monitoring the impact of removal of the default

retirement age.• Occupational Health – support for all employees; new ‘Case

Management’ approach for MSD and MH.• Employee Benefits – reduced gym fees, Cycle2Work scheme,

health insurance, executive health screening.• Feeling First Class – Well-Being programme.• Feeling First Class online Well-Being portal – website offering

advice on healthy lifestyles.• Onsite-gyms at 37 of the larger Royal Mail Group sites.

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Health and Well-Being for 2015/16

Feeling First Class – Our Well-Being Brand•First Class Mental Health •First Class Support•First Class Fitness•First Class Lifestyle •I’m Feeling First Class•First Class Driving•Well-Being Toolkit (Royal Mail Group intranet and Feeling First Class website)•12 Month Well-Being Calendar

Biopsychosocial model of health

Health

Health and Well-Being Calendar

• April: Sun Safety (Hot weather)• May: Action on Stroke Month• June: Men’s Health Week/ Mental Health Video 2• July: Night Worker Risk Assessments/ Mental Health Video 3 and 4• August: Mental Health Video 5• September: National Work-Life Week (focus on sleep)• October: World Mental Health Day and Health and Safety Week

(Stress); ‘Stoptober’ (smoking)• November: Flu Awareness Month• December: Paused due to Christmas pressure; but EAP actively promoted • January: Feeling First Class Month and Alcohol Awareness• February: National Heart Month• March: EAP actively promoted

What is the Time to Change Pledge?

The Time to Change Pledge is an aspirational statement with meaning, indicating to employees, service users and the public that an organisation wants to take action to tackle the stigma and discrimination around mental health, focusing on the workplace in particular.

• Occupational Health – Case Management for MSD and MHCase managed approach to better support employees and managers with mental health related absences

• Mental Health FoundationFive bespoke awareness training videos

• Target Depression in the Workplace Charter 3: “A well-trained, responsive workforce”

• BITC Workwell – Mental Health ChampionsLeadership Team and Mental Health Champions

• Responsibility Deal PledgesMental Health and Well-BeingPhysical Activity in the WorkplaceHealth and Well-Being ReportOccupational Health Standards

• EU-OSHA Campaign Partner – Healthy Workplaces Manage StressSigned up in October 2014

Video Resources from Mental Health Foundation•Multi-use:

Suitable for use online in eLearning and intranet contexts

Standalone for staff development sessions and Royal Mail TV

Accessible through www.feelingfirstclass.co.uk

•Accessible and Engaging:Expert input, in accessible manner

Personal stories from people with relevant experience

Graphics and simple tips

Topics:•Recognising Distress•Helping Yourself•Supporting Someone•Mental Health and Long Term Conditions•Supporting Colleagues with Mental Health Problems

The Well-Being Zone

• www.feelingfirstclass.co.uk

• Available for use on all devices, don’t need to use your Royal Mail Group email address to sign up

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Thank you