2023 is proving to be a successful year with awards from the Garden Centre Association and the Family Business Community. We’re now celebrating another important recognition, a Gold Award from Warrington Borough Council achieved in supporting the health and wellbeing of our colleagues as highlighted in the article published by Warrington Worldwide.
The Gold Award serves as a reminder that our efforts in promoting the wellbeing of our colleagues are making a difference. We are not only focused on achieving success as a business but also on creating a caring and nurturing work environment. At Bents, we value each and every member of our team, and we are dedicated to their continued happiness and fulfilment.
Bents’ colleagues are considered central to the success of our family owned and run business which is why so much importance is placed on their wellbeing; something which has been acknowledged by this latest award from Warrington Borough Council.
We have worked hard to develop our wellbeing strategy so it is great to get this recognition from the Council. In the aftermath of the pandemic there have been growing external pressures so we know it is critical to support our colleagues’ in terms of their physical, mental and financial wellbeing.
Wellbeing Initiatives
Since appointing our new Head of Culture last year we’ve worked closely with our team of ‘Culture Champions’ to identify ways we can help. Initiatives include Wellbeing Walks with a trained practitioner, providing colleagues with the opportunity to talk and reconnect, and weekly yoga sessions which have proved very popular. Reduced gym membership and mental health awareness training have also helped towards the Gold Award from Warrington Borough Council.
Onsite Health Checks
In addition we have worked closely with the council and their NHS Wellbeing Bus, offering colleagues the opportunity for confidential onsite health checks and personal MOTs, which are easily accessible during work hours.
Additional opportunities for health checks recently arose following a £1000 voucher win at this year’s Health & Wellbeing at Work event and following discussions with colleagues, the request for further health checks was fulfilled.
From Our Colleagues
Our colleagues’ wellbeing is so important to us and the initiatives we have put in place come from them directly, something we believe is vital to their success. We have a team of 16 Culture Champions who seek out ideas and requests, all of which is fed back to management who then work hard to put initiatives in place which can help support our colleagues’ mental, physical and financial wellbeing.
We also promote the use of the Perennial App, a free platform dedicated to helping people in the horticulture industry and provides a wide range of health and wellbeing content including recipe ideas, podcasts and educational videos. Through the app, our colleagues have also have free access to trained counsellors who can offer further support.