At Mars we take associate health and wellbeing seriously and offer a range of initiatives across our UK sites. These range from on-site Occupational Health Services through to the provision of Wellbeing programmes.
Mars is conscious of the problems that poor lifestyles can have not only to our associates, but also to their family and friends and the wider population. Ultimately, improving health and productivity, associate engagement and decreasing costs associated with ill health are the key business benefits of an integrated wellness/occupational health programme.
Winning With Wellness
The truth is good health is good business. Studies have shown the importance of healthy lifestyles in relation to productivity and sickness absence. Mars recognises that a healthy, committed workforce is vital to business success. Investing in those elements that drive the engagement and wellbeing of associates will fundamentally drive the business and the bottom line. Our in house wellbeing programme is called Winning With Wellness.
The broad aim of the Winning With Wellness programme is to provide opportunities for all associates to be informed about their health and well-being and be able to make choices to live healthier lives. The programme covers a variety of topics within the healthy lifestyle area. These include stopping smoking, stress management, physical activity and diet and nutrition.
Read on for some examples of initiatives offered within these topic areas:
Stress Management (including other mental health issues)
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Associate Assistance Programme
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24 counselling service available over the phone for associates and their families living at the same address
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Cognitive behavioural therapy (by in-house trained occupational health nurses)
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GALAXY Room: available on one of our sites, a relaxing room which offers self-help guides on various mental health issues
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Massages offered throughout the year, mostly during our 'wellness weeks' throughout all sites
Diet and Nutrition
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Weight loss competitions/programmes: this includes team and individual competitions, where support is available through either dietetic support and/or leaflets
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Healthy Eating: working with our on-site cafeterias to improve the range and quality of healthy meal options and some sites also offer monthly healthy eating subsidised offers
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Internal website offering nutrition and exercise advice
Physical Activity
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Onsite gym/exercise facilities: many of our sites offer either an on-site gym, or/and exercise classes ranging from tai chi to boxercise
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Lunchtime walks
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Corporate Gym Memberships: a variety of local and national corporate memberships have been set up with major health club chains
Smoking Cessation
Wellness Champions
Wellness Champions are associates who volunteer to help with the Winning With Wellness programme.
Each wellness champion has responsibility for a particular focus lifestyle area. The champions are trained in various formats including seminars, 1:1 training and shadowing. They also have the opportunity to complete Level 2 Health Improvement RIPH. Wellness Champions are ambassadors for the project and help to plan and deliver various interventions. For example champions have organised and delivered in house weight management programmes, men’s/women’s health weeks and 1:1 stop smoking sessions. Champions help to motivate the workforce and are the driving force for any workplace health project. We have a strong network of champions at one of our sites and are rolling out the champion programme to all other sites.
Occupational Health
Occupational Health Managers are available on all sites. The focus of the role is to ensure a positive interface between work and health for associates and vice versa together with a healthy work-life balance.
Our Vision for Occupational Health is to seek: 'Optimal health for all Mars Associates'. The protection and promotion of associate health is of mutual benefit to the company and the associate.
Occupational Health's role includes:
- Assessing associate health and advising on fitness and ability to work
- Facilitating return to work/ rehabilitation for ill or injured associates
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Advising on job and workplace design
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Identifying work related health hazards and supporting control measures to protect health
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Analysing and reporting health performance results and recommending appropriate interventions
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Promoting associate physical and psychological health through “wellness programmes’’, private health care specialist referrals and our associate assistance programme
The UK Public Health Responsibility Deal
Mars are pleased to be part of the UK Public Health Responsibility Deal. As part of the Responsibility Deal, Mars have signed the following pledges related to workplace health.
Physical Activity
P4. We will increase physical activity in the workplace, for example through modifying the environment, promoting workplace champions and removing barriers to physical activity during the working day.
Health at Work
H1. To embed the principles of the chronic conditions guides (developed through the Responsibility Deal’s health at work network) within HR procedures to ensure that those with chronic conditions at work are managed in the best way possible with reasonable flexibilities and workplace adjustments
H2. To use only occupational health services which meet the new occupational health standards and which aim to be accredited by 2012/13
H4. To implement some basic measures for encouraging healthier staff restaurants/ vending outlets/buffets for staff, including:
- Ensuring the availability of healthier foods and beverages in all available channels to employees
- Working with caterers to reformulate recipes to provide meals which are lower in fat, salt, and energy and which do not contain artificial trans fats
- Provision of responsibly sized portions of foods
- Provision and promotion of the consumption of fruit and vegetables through availability and price promotion
- Provision of calories and/or Guideline Daily Amounts on menus per portion as a minimum (further nutrients optional)
- Ensure that water is visible and freely available
More details on these pledges can be found at the Department of Health’s website.
Mars have also signed an individual pledge to work in partnership with SME organisations to help them promote health and wellbeing amongst their staff.
The launch event at Slough in January 2011 saw Managing Director of MARS Chocolate UK, Fiona Dawson welcoming Health Minister Lord Howe and the Government’s National Director of Health and Work Dame Carol Black to Slough to meet 11 local businesses participating in the Slough pilot of the new ‘Health and Wellbeing local business partnerships’.
Small and medium sized businesses in Slough have been offered the chance to share MARS’ health and wellbeing expertise and resources in a bid to improve the health of the entire Slough workforce. Studies have shown that employees in good health can be up to three times as productive as those in poor health and that participation in fitness activities is associated with decreased levels of short-term absenteeism. Participants have been offered fitness assessments, access to discounted gym membership and participation in MARS’ onsite wellbeing activities.
A guide on Workplace Health for SME’s produced by the Department of Health can be found
here.
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