BT Groupís work-life balance policies have caught the eye of the judges of the Working Families Employer Awards and they have won through to the finals of the Wellbeing Award.
BTís Work fit programme started in 2005 when a staggering 15,000 employees joined a campaign to lose weight. Next came an initiative to help people to stop smoking. The third campaign supported employees who were running for Sport Relief. Positive Mentality is the latest campaign designed to encourage employees to take an active role in promoting their own mental health and to do something positive to cope with stress and deal with difficult times. The Work fit programme now has a clear brand and identity amongst employees and the Positive Mentality area on the intranet is available to all employees. The strategy of primary, secondary and tertiary support means that the assessment by individuals of their mental wellbeing instigates corresponding action from their line manager.
BT recognises that it is important to support people with mental ill-health and to promote mental wellbeing - 75% of their long term absentees return to work, against a national average of 20%. Positive Mentality recognises that the human benefits of improving mental health are as important as the financial bottom line benefits.
The Working Families Employer Awards, sponsored by HP are designed to reward innovation and creative thinking in work-life balance, spread the word on best practice and encourage pioneering approaches to improving working lives and building business success. One of seven Awards, the Wellbeing Award will be awarded for employers committed to improving the health and wellbeing of their workforce.
For more information go to www.workingfamilies.org.uk
Working Families Chief Executive Sarah Jackson said: ìWe are really impressed by the calibre and diversity of entries this year. It is exciting and inspiring to see organisations like BT Group taking work-life balance seriously and demonstrating the business benefits it can bring.î
Caroline Waters, Director People and Policy, BT said: ìBecause 1 in 4 people are affected by mental health problems at some stage in their lives, it is highly likely that every one of us will be either directly or indirectly affected. As other areas of diversity become increasingly recognised and accepted, mental health continues to remain in the background. It needs to be brought out into the open and I am delighted that BTís positive mentality programme is doing this. Understanding the truth behind mental health problems, whether it is stress, depression or any other mental health issue, is vitally important for BT to both support its employees and enable them to fulfil their full potential within the workplace and within society.î
BT Group could be the Employer of the Year 2006
BT Groupís work-life balance policies have caught the eye of the judges of the Working Families Employer Awards and they have won through to the finals of the Wellbeing Award
