Happy and healthy employees are more engaged, perform better and take less sick leave. But those aren’t the only reasons that Irish Life invests in employee well-being. It also builds a sense of community.
“A company isn’t built on one person, one CEO or one high flyer—it’s built on all of our employees working together,” says junior HR business partner Louise Bhandal. “Our people are our best asset and if we invest in wellness we are investing in the number one best asset we have.”
Think about it: the average person spends about half their waking hours at work. If employees believe their employer cares about their physical, mental and emotional health, the organisation will ultimately reap the benefits. It’s a win-win.
Irish Life’s health and wellness strategy spans a range of programmes aimed at protecting not only employee health but also emotional and psychological well-being. These include on-campus facilities such as a gym complex, swimming pool and fitness classes, as well as check-ups, flu vaccines, mental health assistance, maternity and paternity leave packages, and more.
Happy and healthy employees are more engaged, perform better and take less sick leave. But those aren’t the only reasons that Irish Life invests in employee well-being. It also builds a sense of community.
“A company isn’t built on one person, one CEO or one high flyer—it’s built on all of our employees working together,” says junior HR business partner Louise Bhandal. “Our people are our best asset and if we invest in wellness we are investing in the number one best asset we have.”
Think about it: the average person spends about half their waking hours at work. If employees believe their employer cares about their physical, mental and emotional health, the organisation will ultimately reap the benefits. It’s a win-win.
Irish Life’s health and wellness strategy spans a range of programmes aimed at protecting not only employee health but also emotional and psychological well-being. These include on-campus facilities such as a gym complex, swimming pool and fitness classes, as well as check-ups, flu vaccines, mental health assistance, maternity and paternity leave packages, and more.
“We spend most of our time at work and with our colleagues and I think it’s important to feel supported and valued,” Louise says. “If you’re going through a difficult time there’s a huge amount of help and support available to you here and that close-knit community vibe definitely has a positive impact on your ability to do your work.”
She’s speaking from experience. As a young mother, going to the gym and taking fitness classes not only gives her more energy at work but also a social outlet.
“It’s even helped me through some difficult transitions,” she shares. “When I first came back to work after having my son, I turned to the employee assistance programme for emotional support and I availed of flexible working hours. It was great to have that extra support when I was going through a stressful period to stop me from getting stressed.”
Irish Life has also launched a Mental Health Ambassadors programme, enabling employees to respond in times of crisis and spread awareness about mental health problems.
“If you have happy employees, you’ll have happy customers, but we have to build it from the inside out,” Louise says. “Investing in employee health and wellbeing means people will have the ability to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, and when everyone has so many benefits to choose from, it builds an overall culture of caring.”
“We spend most of our time at work and with our colleagues and I think it’s important to feel supported and valued,” Louise says. “If you’re going through a difficult time there’s a huge amount of help and support available to you here and that close-knit community vibe definitely has a positive impact on your ability to do your work.”
She’s speaking from experience. As a young mother, going to the gym and taking fitness classes not only gives her more energy at work but also a social outlet.
“It’s even helped me through some difficult transitions,” she shares. “When I first came back to work after having my son, I turned to the employee assistance programme for emotional support and I availed of flexible working hours. It was great to have that extra support when I was going through a stressful period to stop me from getting stressed.”
Irish Life has also launched a Mental Health Ambassadors programme, enabling employees to respond in times of crisis and spread awareness about mental health problems.
“If you have happy employees, you’ll have happy customers, but we have to build it from the inside out,” Louise says. “Investing in employee health and wellbeing means people will have the ability to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, and when everyone has so many benefits to choose from, it builds an overall culture of caring.”