Values that highlight the importance of working together as a team, innovative technology that makes work safer for employees, and proactive initiatives that help support employee wellbeing are among the factors promoting a positive workplace wellbeing culture at Alliance.

With close to 5,000 employees spread across the country, and plants in both the South and North Islands, a one-size fits all approach to staff well-being was never an option for Alliance.

The co-operative embraced the concept of Te Whare Tapa Wha – a holistic framework that focuses on ensuring multiple aspects of a person’s life are strong. The concept recognises there are many facets impacting wellbeing, and that employers have a significant role to play when it comes to protecting their employees.  

Alliance Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention manager Hennie Pienaar said the organisation was working hard to look after its employees and finding new and innovative ways to promote mental and physical fitness.  

As well as significant investment in specialised plant equipment to create safer work environments, it has also implemented a range of wellbeing initiatives targeting holistic factors including mental health and fatigue.  

There are “in room” wellness talks, extended medical tests, and instructive training programmes helping identify outside factors that can impact work.  

The creation of an injury prevention role, which has since extended to include a broader wellbeing focus, is also evidence of the commitment to positive workplace wellbeing culture.  

One of the marquee initiatives Alliance is particularly proud of is the Primed For the Gates programme – while this initiative has a strong focus on injury prevention, its holistic approach recognises wellbeing comes from many contributing factors, and employers need to factor each of these in when it comes to minimising risk and maximising benefit.  

 “Initially it was about injury prevention but then they realised it was a great opportunity to look at wider holistic wellbeing. It started from the Executive Leadership Team, and came down through to managers, supervisors, etc, so it is all accepted and in place before getting to worker level,” Hennie said.  

 Feedback from this programme has been extremely positive.  

 “People are really seeing it as a gamechanger.”  

 The company also celebrates innovation among its staff, and workers are involved in decision making when it comes to the initiatives their work rooms will focus on.  

 “This all contributes to the sense of belonging, ownership, and engagement among our staff. We really applaud people for coming up with new ideas. People have a say.”  

Article added: Monday 11 July 2022