Fun, fit workplaces better for business

Health promotion co-ordinator Peter Muldoon says the workplace has embraced its partnership with Wodonga Council in adopting the Healthy Together initiative.

“We know that our staff spend a considerable amount of their time at work,” he says.

“For a third of their day, almost two-thirds of their waking day, they’re here at work.

“And the way more modern workplaces are now we rely more on technology and people are less active at work.

“So we know we’ve got an opportunity — particularly as a health service — to have a workplace that promotes good health and well-being and we know that impacts on staff and their families and we hope that impacts on the way we deliver our services to clients.”

Mr Muldoon says Gateway has taken on a number of healthy practices, even before the Healthy Together initiative.

Its model was based on the Heart Foundation’s Healthy Workplace framework, which encouraged people to be more active at work and take “active transport” — like cycling or walking.

There have been also been work health checks through Worksafe and they are in the midst of a major redesign of their office space.

“We’ve looked at how you make sure the office is set up to have good natural light,” Mr Muldoon says.

“And how you make sure people need to get up for the printers and making sure that we have sit-stand workstations as much as we can.”

Mr Muldoon says workers were involved in the Premier’s Challenge.

“A quarter of our staff committed to exercising for 30 minutes a day, five days a week,” Mr Muldoon says.

“We’ve done things like lunch-time walks and stair circuits for 10 minutes twice a day — things that keep breaking up people’s sitting down time and helping them connect with other people they don’t normally work with.

“We’ve also got a complementary therapy program, once a month for half a day staff are able to have an appointment with a masseur, for example.”

Mr Muldoon says Gateway Health has embraced the push for a healthy workplace.

“There’s enough evidence to show workplaces that implement health-promoting activities do have a reduction in work cover claims and sick leave,” he says.

“We’ve found it really helped energise people by breaking up their day by being more physically active.

“There’s been a real demand to start those programs again — they’re good fun and fit with morning or afternoon tea breaks.

“This approach needs low cost, easy options for other businesses to pick up.

“If you can find easy ways of promoting good health behaviours then you’re going to get a return of investment and they can be adapted to suit all workplaces, from large organisations to a small business.

“And I think people really get this.

“It’s not an unusual concept — people know if workers are healthy and happy they’ll be more productive which, in the end, is better for business.”