Polytechnic gets gold for wellness
Tuesday 12 April 2016, 12:20PM
By Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology
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Bay of Plenty Polytechnic has been awarded a WorkWell Gold Standard Accreditation, making it one of the five organisations in the Bay of Plenty to achieve this level of workplace health and safety.
The WorkWell initiative has been developed by Toi Te Ora – the BOP Public Health Service and is designed to help organisations create a healthier workplace.
The Polytechnic’s Health and Safety Adviser, Gae Stevenson, says the Polytechnic has always had a high standard when it comes to workplace safety and wellbeing. The Gold Accreditation however takes this to the next level and is testament to the hard work put in by the on-site WorkWell Committee, made up of staff from across all areas of the Polytechnic with a strong interest in wellness.
“We started the WorkWell programme in 2011,” says Gae. “We’ve worked our way up from bronze to silver and now gold. It took a lot of energy and consistency and we have tried to include all areas of the Polytechnic.”
“One of our initiatives is the annual Wellness Week which staff always really enjoy,” continues Gae. “In the past we’ve included things like mole checks, hearing and lung function checks, blood pressure checks, massages and fitness classes. There have also been seminars from local health providers such as the Heart Foundation and the Cancer Society.”
Other Polytechnic WorkWell initiatives include: support for an active lifestyle with free lunchtime gym classes and pool entrance (at the onsite Health and Fitness Centre), healthy eating options in the campus cafes, easily accessible water purifiers and kitchen facilities, sun awareness (free sunblock and shaded spaces available) and breast feeding areas.
Employees at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic can continue look forward to a safe, healthy workplace for the foreseeable future.
“Now we’ve reached this Gold standard, we will work hard to maintain it.”
Bay of Plenty Polytechnic WorkWell working group members are: Gae Stevenson, Keith Martin, Lizzie Reincke, Lyn Bates, Valda Bryson, Alana Johnson, Logan Bannister (chair), Pam Simpson, Lynda Lipinski (University of Waikato) and James Patterson.