UAP Undertakes Wellbeing Project

Employee wellbeing is a growing concern across many industries as offices are rife with overworking, poor work-life balance, sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy eating choices. Staff burn themselves out and become unwell or become so stressed that they leave their jobs. This is why we are working to build on our foundation of employee wellbeing, bringing in new ideas, resources and events that can help to revitalise and de-stress our staff.

At UAP we understand that employee wellbeing and high morale is vital for a strong and capable work force, and we also want to give everyone an individual voice; staff are encouraged to submit their own ideas and suggestions on what would help them, as they know best about what they need.

We started with Wednesday lunchtime Yoga sessions, which have proved to be wildly popular, as they offer a chance to unwind and disconnect from the working day for a while. The lessons take place on-site and are subsidised by the company.

We now provide free fresh fruit every day in the staff room, and everyone is encouraged to have a piece a day. We will soon be starting a 10 day fruit eating challenge with cards that staff stamp after having one of their five-a-day, and if completed they’ll win a little surprise as an incentive!

We’ve rearranged our staff room to be more inviting and comfortable for people to spend their lunchtimes away from their desks as recommended. A communal TV will soon be installed too, and a suggestions box has been stationed there to provide a place for staff to submit their ideas and wants.

We’re currently voting on a few options for an employee team-building activity, with choices such as the Crystal Maze live experience and Chill Factore.

Starting in March, we’ll be expanding the internal newsletter to include employee stories to highlight people’s achievements, stories and news, but we’re not putting a focus on ‘big’ news – we really want to appreciate the small stuff to remind everyone of the little joys in daily life.

A satisfaction survey will soon be circulating internally to get an idea of how happy employees currently are with working for UAP and what other changes could be made to improve work life.

Other new changes coming soon include board games in the staff room to encourage staff to switch off and socialise together, a book club, bring and swap, and on-site massages to fix any aches and pains from sitting at our desks.

We have more exciting things to come for employee wellbeing and we hope to make some real and productive changes to support our staff.