Global leaders in access solutions, Assa Abloy, employs 1,200 people across seven sites in the UK and Ireland. Employee wellbeing has always been important and towards the end of 2019 it was rolling out a series of wellbeing days. “We’d run these at two of our sites and then lockdown was announced,” explains Sandeep Pawar, benefits and wellbeing manager at Assa Abloy. “With the changes brought about by the pandemic, it was more important than ever to look after the wellbeing of our colleagues.”
To do this, a wellbeing strategy was introduced based around the four pillars of wellbeing: mental, physical, social and financial health. Alongside this an identity was created for each pillar and a weekly campaign launched: Wellbeing Wednesday. “Our weekly communications focus on each of the four pillars,” Pawar explains. “The content is varied, which we link to health awareness and charity events, including tips on how to stay connected at work and with family, and ideas on getting the most out of working from home.”
As well as these communications, a wellbeing portal was launched on the intranet site, providing employees with plenty of resources and support. The organisation also enhanced its employee assistance programme (EAP), extending it to offer a 24-hour GP service and personalised get-fit programmes for employees and their families.
The success of these initiatives also made it easier to roll out additional support for mental health. More than 30 employees stepped forward as volunteers for mental health first aider training. The aim of the training is to increase awareness and remove mental health stigmas. Assa Abloy also arranged sessions for managers to help them identify mental health issues and a 30-minute mental health awareness session for all employees. “Now that the company is back to full capacity, we are planning to host wellbeing days again when it is safe to do so,” Pawar adds. “We’re also using our suggestion scheme to ensure the programme is bespoke and reflects the needs of our colleagues.”