Silver Award

We are pleased to recognise below the workplaces that have achieved a Silver accreditation on the Wellbeing at Work Programme

The award is available to workplaces who have achieved bronze status, and are looking to further develop wellbeing as part of their organisational ethos. Small organisations must complete 10 criteria, large organisations 20

Large organisations (50+ employees)

Servomex

Servomex is the first employer in East Sussex to be accredited with a Wellbeing at Work Silver Award, for workplaces with 50+ employees.

As part of their Silver award application, Servomex evidenced their menopause policy with practical tips for managers to support staff, as well as a range of other policies related to wellbeing such as mental health, volunteering, neurodiversity and flexible working. They are particularly proud of how mental health and wellbeing has become embedded in the company’s culture through a range of interventions. Some examples of what they have put in place are: MHFAider’s, provision of workshops – including all Managers and Team Leaders being trained in Mental Health Awareness, senior leaders talking about mental health and sharing mental health information through various forms such as on noticeboards, digital screens and by email.

In addition to having good policies in place and regularly updating staff of any changes, Julie Burridge (Health and Wellbeing Manager) feels it is important for wellbeing and other hard-to-talk-about subjects to be part of everyday conversations. “It’s not about how much money you have to invest – we don’t have a big budget for wellbeing, but to be constantly talking about mental health through different communication channels and to train managers to do it as well.” This approach has also helped to retain and recruit staff in a very competitive industry. One staff member stated: “I have never seen a company install an openness like Servomex. The organisation genuinely cares about wellbeing and provides somewhere to go for support – it’s not just a tick box exercise”.

Wealden District Council

Wealden District Council achieved the Wellbeing at Work Silver award in September 2023, after achieving the Bronze award in 2022. As part of their award, Wealden District Council created a Menopause Matters group, which is facilitated by five staff coordinators and is now self-sustaining. The group has at least 15 regular attendees from across the organisation and a wider Microsoft Teams group where hints and tips are shared. As well as the staff-led group, HR introduced a menopause policy and have provided menopause training sessions for staff to attend. The organisation is also particularly proud of the impact that running a staff health and wellbeing survey has made. Around half the workforce responded to the survey, which provided useful insight for the wellbeing group, and many of the suggestions from the survey have been implemented – such as exercise classes for staff, with Pilates sessions now on offer.

Councillor Greg Collins, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party), and Lead Councillor for Finance and HR, said, “As an administration we are delighted to see Wealden achieve this silver Wellbeing at Work Award so soon after gaining bronze status.”

“In a busy and sometimes stressful work environment it’s essential the Council provides high quality wellbeing support to council employees and continues to make them all feel valued, as we need to recruit and retain the best people we can, to serve our residents well. This award recognises the steps being taken to achieve that. Well done, Wealden!”

Sussex Housing and Care

Sussex Housing & Care, a group of residential care homes and sheltered accommodation based in Sussex, have achieved Silver Award in December 2023. They are the first care home organisation to gain this award.

Taking part in the programme has enabled them to acknowledge everything they were already doing in terms of wellbeing and showcase it to staff. One of the highlights of their award is their benefits platform, which is really comprehensive.  The staff health and wellbeing survey has helped them learn more about gaps in staff needs, plan initiatives for 2024 and see employee’s health more holistically. Webinars are offered to staff, and then recorded and made available for people to access in their own time or at team meetings, taking into account shift workers and frontline staff. Interest in training has grown and they now have more MHFAiders and mental health champions.

CEO Tracy Evans does quarterly briefings at all care homes and in Support Services where she includes wellbeing as an agenda item and promotes all the benefits available to staff. According to her, “maximising all the communications channels available to get the message out is key”. For her “wellbeing has an impact on residents. If staff are not happy the customers will feel it.”

St Wilfrid’s Hospice

St Wilfrid’s Hospice was awarded with the Wellbeing at Work Silver Award in January 2024. The process of achieving Silver gave the organisation the opportunity to reflect on their wellbeing practices and review policies to make them easier for staff to find the information needed.

The staff health and wellbeing survey enlightened the way forward, and helped the organisation understand what else staff were looking for in terms of help and support that hadn’t been considered yet, such as sleep hygiene.

Having the majority of staff women, menopause is a hot topic. The highlight of their award was the implementation of a very active menopause group, where men are welcome to join, and members invited to share their stories and experiences. As a result, a menopause policy has been created to bring more flexibility in terms of reasonable adjustments to accommodate different needs. To a member of staff, “St Wilfrid’s is the nicest place I’ve ever worked at. You can tell that there is a real culture of support.”

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust achieved the Silver Award for Wellbeing at Work in East Sussex, recognised in September 2024. This honour highlights their dedication to employee wellbeing, exemplified by the establishment of 158 wellbeing champions and strong reflective practices regarding health and wellbeing initiatives across the organisation. A colleague from the pharmacy department remarked, “The Wellbeing experts in the People Engagement Team do such a good job!” This recognition underscores the Trust’s commitment to fostering a supportive work environment for all staff.

Industrial Construction (Sussex) Ltd

ICS Roofing was awarded with the Small Business Silver Award in August 2023, being the first business with less than 49 employees and the first construction company in the county to reach this status.

As part of the award process, ICS invested in new adjustable standing desks for all members of staff, a new phone system has been installed with Bluetooth headsets to allow staff to take calls whilst standing up.  Central recycling bins have been placed strategically round the office to encourage staff to move throughout the day.

Employees recognise that there is a real investment in wellbeing at ICS Roofing, that is providing a positive and more healthy working environment.

Affinity Select Insurance Services

Affinity Select Insurance Services Limited, a small business based in Uckfield, achieved the Wellbeing at Work Small Business Silver Award in July 2023. This follows on from their achievement of the Commitment Award in September 2022, and Small Business Bronze Award in January 2023.

As part of their award, Affinity Select Insurance Services have provided new and updated guidance to their managers on sickness absence management, to make it easier for managers to support staff who are off work. It has also helped staff to know that they will be supported if they are unwell. The organisation has also made their offices a ‘smoke free site’ – taking steps to ensure smoking does not take place anywhere on the organisations premises to make the environment a healthier place for all to work. The organisation is proud of its mental health strategy, they have worked to get everyone involved in it, as well as making the workplace environment as safe as possible for mental health by creating an open culture to discuss issues.

Lastly, the workplace has been considering its role in wider community, a drive for a local foodbank throughout the month of August has been underway, and they have also brought local foodbank volunteers into the workplace to deliver a talk to staff to increase their understanding of such projects.

Havens Community Hub

Havens Community Hub, a small Community Interest Company (CIC) based in Newhaven that provides support and community projects on the coastal stretch between Seaford and Saltdean, have achieved the Small Business Silver Award in November 2023. They were the first charity in the county to do so!

Being a growing charity, the awards journey has helped them see what else needed addressing in terms of wellbeing, such as MSK prevention, and what would make their team stronger and more connected. The best initiatives that the organisation undertook as part of their award were offering NHS Health Checks to staff on site, during working hours, and implementing DSE and workstation assessments to prevent musculoskeletal pain. Employees felt valued because they were allowed to look after their health whilst at work. Founder and Company Secretary Paula Woolven said ‘I would recommend the awards to everybody. It gives you the opportunity to look at what you are doing well, and what we need to start doing or could improve. It prompted us to do other things and progress.’

Ridgeview Wine Estate

Ridgeview Wine Estate, based in Ditchling, received the Wellbeing at Work Small Business Silver Award in January 2024.

Taking part in the award has helped them realise how much they already do, and the need to showcase their successes and promote more what’s on offer to staff. Some of their successful interventions in their wellbeing journey towards Silver, off the back of the staff health and wellbeing survey, were MSK prevention training and gentle desk stretches, stress management workshop, and eye strain prevention with eye vouchers and tests. Comparing the survey results with last year’s, they could see an improvement in all those areas. To help further with stress management, the company organised an inset day for all staff with yoga, forest bathing and a talk about the biology of stress.

The company excel at providing staff with a lot of social opportunities. As a result, staff feel valued, included and part of the team: “The company works really hard for the wellbeing of staff. We can see the changes. Wellbeing is always a priority.”

Dawson Hart Solicitors Limited

Dawson Hart Solicitors, based in Uckfield, achieved the Wellbeing at Work Small Business Silver Award in May 2024.

Building on their successes at Bronze level, representation has increased on their internal Wellbeing Committee. The company have also trained more staff in mental health and menopause awareness, as well as staff training to become Fertility Ambassadors.

The company continues to promote communication channels for sharing organisational updates and changes. Their monthly all firm Cake and Chat meetings have a standing Wellbeing item, as well as the introduction of fruit at these meetings. The introduction of an anonymous suggestion box has been hugely successful. All suggestions are considered by the Wellbeing Committee and feedback is provided by email and in all staff meetings. If feasible, suggestions are put to Senior Management for consideration and then implementation.

Some agreed suggestions include a rolling 10-minute lunchtime meditation session, and a change to the annual leave policy! The annual leave entitlement has been increased for all employees and all staff enjoy discretionary extra annual leave at Christmas.

Read Dawson Hart’s case study of their Wellbeing at Work experience here.

Mitchell & Cooper Ltd

Mitchell & Cooper Ltd recently celebrated achieving the Silver Wellbeing at Work Award for small businesses, marking significant strides in fostering a supportive workplace culture. Key achievements included a successful reduction in mental health stigma, the introduction of monthly “Time to Talk” sessions specifically geared towards male staff, and an increase in chat groups and social activities. These initiatives have led to a noticeable decrease in sickness absence. One team member highlighted the impact of Lucy Tilley, the wellbeing lead, commending her as a strong advocate for embedding this positive culture across the company.