The importance of workplace wellbeing is being increasingly recognised among Southland businesses, thanks, in part, to mahi being done by Healthy Families Invercargill. 

Healthy Families Invercargill has focused on workplace wellbeing for several years, after insights from a community hui in 2016 identified a gap in this space. 

Since then a wide range of initiatives have been developed or supported by the team, driven by community insights and needs, including the incorporation of workplace wellbeing into the annual Vodafone Workplace Challenge, the inclusion of Healthy Families Invercargill in the Southland Health and Safety Forum and the addition of workplace wellbeing topics at the forum’s regular meetings, the inclusion of workplace wellbeing topics in the monthly Southland Chamber of Commerce Chamberlink newsletter, the inclusion of workplace wellbeing as a focus at the recent National Institute of Safety Management expo, and support for the nationwide Good4Work platform. 

But of the work being done in the workplace wellbeing space, arguably the most notable has been the creation of the bi-ennial Workplace Wellbeing Award, presented through the Southland Business Excellence Awards. 

The Workplace Wellbeing Award was initiated by Healthy Families Invercargill in 2017 to encourage workplaces to incorporate wellbeing practices into their business, and to showcase workplaces that are already demonstrating effective workplace wellbeing strategies. It was presented as part of the Southland Business Excellence Awards and was extremely successful, attracting the highest number of entries in any of the award categories.  

The success prompted Healthy Families Invercargill to again include it in the Business Excellence Awards in 2019, where it was won by Blue River Dairy, whose focus on staff wellbeing, inclusiveness and a dedication to a holistic work-home wellbeing approach impressed the judges.  

Healthy Families Invercargill manager Jared Cappie said the goal had always been to embed the award into the Business Excellence Awards by making it a sustainable and valued addition.  

It had now reached the stage where workplace wellbeing was increasingly being recognised and valued by workplaces throughout the region, meaning the award could be handed over to someone else, Cappie said. 

The new sponsor is Blue River Dairy. 

“Being able to hand over the reins to Blue River Dairy, a company with such a strong focus on workplace wellbeing, is fantastic. We know that this award is in good hands, and we hope it will inspire other workplaces to look at their own wellbeing practices, and share their experiences or consider implementing a workplace wellbeing strategy that promotes a happy and healthy working environment.”  

Blue River Dairy People and Administration Manager, Abbigail Surridge, is excited about the opportunity to champion wellbeing in the workplace. 

“Entering and ultimately winning the Workplace Wellbeing Award in 2019 was an amazing opportunity for us to put a spotlight on how and, perhaps more importantly, why, we prioritise wellbeing amongst our team. We’re looking forward to supporting and encouraging other Southland businesses in their wellbeing journey.” 

Article added: Monday 28 June 2021