Dame Carol Black gives keynote speech at 30th April Online Wellness Management Community Launch
Dame Carol Black, the government’s national director of health and work and the author of the recent review “Working for a Healthier Tomorrow”, is giving the keynote speech at the launch of a ground-breaking online scheme which will help employers boost the health, productivity and morale of their staff. The event takes place on 30th April at The Work Foundation in Central London.
Research, by The Work Foundation, shows that UK workers are likely to perform at sub-optimum levels due to minor health problems, and a general lack of engagement, while the government estimates that this costs the economy over £100 billion per year. Now a new initiative is being launched which will transform the support available to employers of all sizes who want to improve the way they manage workplace health, and help staff take control of their own mental and physical well being.
Wellness Management consultancy WellKom, in partnership with the Public Sector People Managers’ Association (PPMA), is setting out to help organisations boost the “wellness” – or optimum health – of their staff by introducing “Personal Wellness Zones”. These online zones will be localised to different regions and towns in the UK as well as customised and branded for major employers; membership associations and trade unions.
Employees will be able to create their own private and confidential online Wellness Accounts which will give them access to a range of easy to use wellness services. The Zone also gives people the opportunity to compare their wellness against more than 70 international benchmarks and best practice guidelines, as well as receiving personalised advice about health and performance both at work and during leisure time. There are also separate resources for leaders to develop new Wellness Management leadership capabilities.
These Zones will be backed up by local networks of accredited wellness professionals including Personal Wellness Coaches.
WellKom is a member of a national team of stakeholders - drawn from different parts of the UK economy - which is developing a new training scheme which will give both employees and leaders a chance to take a qualification in personal and leadership wellness management. Individuals will be able to study for this qualification on a voluntary basis, and would then have a portable qualification to add to their toolkit of transferrable skills.
This approach has been welcomed by employers and unions alike, as it will have obvious business benefits, and will also help increase both the job satisfaction and employability of union members.
The launch event is an half-day conference, taking place on Wednesday 30 April, from 12.30 – 16.00, at the Work Foundation, 21 Palmer Street, London SW1H 0AD (near Victoria). The event is relevant to a wide cross section of management professionals including those working in recruitment, learning and development, finance, risk, insurance and the leisure posts, and to school governors as well as anyone working in economic development.
For more information on this event, contact Genevieve Nortje by email at genevieve@wellkom.co.uk or go to www.wellkom.co.uk to find out more about Wellness Management.