London’s Olympic Park was constructed with an above average health and safety record, thanks to an excellent corporate health program.
Recent research by the Institute for Employment Studies unpacks the corporate health strategies and tactics behind this success.
The research shows how the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) used a winning mix of employee communicaiton, employee engagement and a genuine focus on employee wellbeing, to deliver a health and safety performance above industry-standard.
Here’s an overview of what they did. You can see the full report here [PDF].
- They established a strong occupational health (OH) team, including occupation hygenists and clinical staff.
- This team provided preventative occupational health services onsite and free of charge to all workers, including wellbeing type services. This gave a message that management genuinely cared about wellbeing. It also gave the OH team a chance to engage with workers more informally about safety issues.
- The OH team was given high status, and took part in senior management meetings.
- The ODA ensured communication about health and safety was genuinely two-way. Supervisors gave daily activity briefings to their team and opened a dialogue with workers about any possible safety risks each day.
- Workers could report issues in a number of ways – anonymously through cards, through employee reps, through their supervisors or through worker safety meetings. Managers then showed they were listening, by displaying “you said, we did” posters about actions taken, in areas such as site canteens.
- Positive behaviour was rewarded through on-the-spot incentives such as breakfast vouchers, and through awards.
Have you found similar success with employee engagement and employee wellbeing programs at your place? We’d love to hear more about what’s worked for you. Share your tips in the comments box below.
Healthworks has more than 30 years of proven experience in improving employee wellbeing and productivity. For more information on corporate health programs, contact Healthworks on 1300 90 10 90 or contact us.
