On Thursday 13 February, the HR team organised a Wellbeing Day for all employees of Shaw Gibbs.

Our objectives for the day were to demonstrate our commitment to employee wellbeing, promote the importance of good mental health in particular and to provide our people with tools and tips for healthy living.

The day comprised of informative group talks followed by interactive break-out sessions which were delivered by a number of health and wellbeing experts from the local area.

On the day we were delighted to be joined by:

Suné Markowitz-Shulman, Eat in Peace with Suné
A mindfulness-based health coach, nutritional therapist and chef, Suné uses her techniques to tune into what is wanted and what is needed in relation to nutrition. Suné explained the vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting and quest for the next best health regime, highlighting how she helps people to break free from food rules, eat in peace and rediscover the joy of eating.

Rob Michael-Phillips, Oxfordshire Mind
Rob Michael-Phillips presented for Oxfordshire Mind. Mind are a mental health charity who help ensure anyone with a mental health issue has somewhere to turn for advice and support. Rob presented the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’, encouraging attendees to make pledges to improve their mental health and wellbeing via the ‘five ways’:
1. Connect
2. Be active
3. Take notice
4. Keep learning
5. Give

Bertie Jesson and Emma Middleton, tops:health
tops:health is a group of health and movement professionals offering specialist services have practices based in Summertown, The University Club. Oxford Brookes, Woodstock and Bicester. They believe that ‘the future is the focus’ in that each episode of an illness or injury is an opportunity to become stronger and healthier. They offer a wide range of health services from physiotherapy to Pilates and hand clinics. Bertie and Emma ran three yoga sessions through the day.

Janette Cardy, JC Fitness
Janette has over 20 years’ experience within the fitness sector, she directs her knowledge towards wellness and life coaching, running fitness classes, being a personal trainer, training triathletes and holding triathlon camps in Portugal. Janette focussed her presentation on three important points: The Wheel of Life, wellbeing in the workplace and her top nutritional hacks.

Nuffield Health
The Oxfordshire Health & Racquets Club provides a host of first class health services as well as state-of-the-art fitness facilities. Personal Trainers from the gym provided free Mini Health MOTs, checking blood pressure, Glucose Levels, BMI, hip-to-waist ratio and helping to identify any potential health risks.

Ed Gibson, Shaw Gibbs Financial Planning
Increasingly studies are linking money and personal finances to both mental and physical health, whether it be stress, depression, relationship problems, comfort eating or alcohol intake. Ed delivered sessions looking at how we define our relationship with money; how we can improve or change that relationship and provided tips on what we can do to help.

Annabelle Nevile, Samudra Therapies
A certified Massage Therapy Practitioner specialising in a variety of holistic treatment services. Annabelle provided 20 minute relaxation massages.

The Wellbeing Day was part of our longer term Wellbeing Programme, which is a key focus in our HR strategy. We will be rolling out more initiatives and since organising this Wellbeing Day, we have already had a few providers approach us to offer some long-term programmes.

Some feedback for the day follows:

“Sune was an inspiration! I really enjoyed talking to her and took away some important views to consider.’

‘Rob from Oxfordshire MIND was very knowledgeable and made the event fun and interactive.’

‘Having a full day dedicated to wellbeing talks shows that Shaw Gibbs cares about their employees.’

‘Really enjoyed the yoga with Bertie and Janette has made me want to changes parts of my lifestyle.’

‘The atmosphere in the office on Thursday was very relaxed and it was great to see people happily talking about their experiences.’

See more on what makes Shaw Gibbs a great place to work here or contact me via kerry.whitfield@shawgibbs.com