Birmingham City University has been awarded a nationally recognised standard recognising its commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of its staff.
The University has secured accreditation from the Workplace Wellbeing Charter which was created to provide a national stamp of quality and is issued to organisations which are able to evidence ongoing work to enhance employees’ workplace experiences.
The Charter was created to ask businesses to meet a range of specified criteria. To land the accreditation, Birmingham City University was tasked with demonstrating measures put in place to support its workforce, including:
- A strong and clear pathway to support staff with concerns and work collaboratively on solutions
- The implementation of a framework to support staff’s mental health
- Running campaigns to promote positive mental wellbeing
- Initiatives to champion inclusion among all protected characteristics
- Health and safety measures implemented to ensure staff work in a positive environment.
These measures were then evaluated by an external assessor to evaluate how the activity had reached the necessary level to achieve the accreditation.
Mark O’Dwyer, Director of Human Resources at Birmingham City University, said: “The health and wellbeing of staff should be central to the work of any employer and is something that we are absolutely committed to at the University.
“We are all proud to have achieved accreditation from the Workplace Wellbeing Charter which provides a real seal of approval for the work that is taking place here.
“We will continue to put in place new measures to support our staff and enhance the experience of working at the University.”
The accreditation asks employers to highlight their work in eight key areas:
- Leadership
- Absence Management
- Health and Safety
- Mental Health
- Smoking
- Physical Activity
- Healthy Eating
- Alcohol
Each criterion required the institution to demonstrate clear, measurable achievements alongside an action-plan which lays out how the University will continue to meet the standards of the accreditation.
Marj Murphy, Director of Operations at Health@Work, said: “The Workplace Wellbeing Charter provides a framework with tangible goals for those organisations striving to support the health and wellbeing of their employees. We are delighted to award Birmingham City University with their Charter and hope that it will inspire other businesses and organisations to do the same.
“Employee wellbeing will continue to be fundamental to organisational success and this recognition will help the university to stand out as an employer of choice. We look forward to seeing how the university drive their wellbeing strategies forward over the coming years.”