Your Job Can Be Good For You: Anglian Water
Establishing an environmental dimension of integrated wellbeing
Anglian Water values the health benefits that a connection with nature can bring. This is integrated within its new Ways of Working programme. Anglian Water has created allotments, as well as wellbeing and memorial gardens, in unused spaces on water treatment facilities. This is helping those in the workplace connect with nature, creating positive effects for those suffering from depression, as well as improving concentration, memory and attention levels.
The company has also encouraged outdoor physical activity through active travel, benefiting both people and planet. The cycle to work scheme is promoted through an employee benefit programme, enabling staff to enjoy the benefits of fresh air and exercise on their commute.
The benefits for Anglian Water’s business
Anglian Water’s employee engagement survey has supplied great feedback to demonstrate the success of the measures to date. The business will continue to promote the biopsychosocial model of health, recognising that it pays dividends and adds value to the organisation.
“Encouraging, promoting, and supporting worker health is definitely good business.”
The benefits for Anglian Water’s employees
Anglian Water’s long-term wellbeing strategy focuses on its employees being ‘happier, healthier, safer’. It puts health and wellbeing centre stage and extends beyond its workforce to those it does not directly employ, such as contractors in its supply chain.
Anglian Water’s ambition is to support employees at home and at work, and that coming to work should have a positive impact on employee health and happiness. It follows this model by making wellbeing central to its organisational strategy, as its ability to perform as a business is linked entirely to the performance of the people within it.
Anglian Water has a fundamental belief that looking after its people is the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense. From a business point of view, if its employees are fit, well and safe they are likely to be more productive and deliver a better service to customers.
“Anglian Water has a fundamental belief that looking after its people is the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense.”
How Anglian Water used Business in the Community’s Workwell Model
Business in the Community’s (BITC) Workwell Model brings together five enablers that support ways of working which drive long term wellbeing. It also has four organisational values to operationalise ‘better’ work, underpinned by sustainability.
Looking to a post-COVID-19 future, Anglian Water launched a Ways of Working programme which further embeds the BITC enabler healthy physical environment. It sets out to
- make sure its people have the right tools and skills to collaborate, wherever they are working
- adapt and create spaces across the campuses and operational sites for connection, collaboration, innovation, and learning
- equip managers with the tools and skills to manage teams effectively across multiple locations .
The new Ways of Working programme reflects Anglian Water’s values in action:
- Taking personal responsibility for the choices it makes.
- Building trust with colleagues wherever they are.
- Exploring new and better ways of doing things.
Your job can be good for you
‘Your Job Can be Good for you’ report sets how businesses can revolutionise the way employees work while supporting broader responsible business goals. The report includes recommendations that businesses should take to begin their post-pandemic re-set of their employee wellbeing agenda.
Next steps
- Download the Your Job Can Be Good For You report
- Register your interest in being part of the wellbeing at work revolution
- Read more Your Job Can Be Good For You case studies.
- If you are a BITC member, contact your Relationship Manager to discuss the support we can give you to create a workplace that is good for your employees. Log in to MyBITC to find their details.
- If you are not a BITC member, contact our Advisory Team to learn how BITC’s Wellbeing Advisers can support your organisation to develop and implement effective health and wellbeing strategies.
rEVOLUTIONISE POSTIVE MENTAL HEALTH
AND WELLBEING AT WORK
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