AXA PPP healthcare

AXA PPP healthcare group has a number of business operations. Eugene Farrell, Business Manager, explains that while each business might approach wellbeing differently, the philosophy across the organisation is that there should be policies that work for everyone:

“We want to create an organisation that lives up to its values and make sure that wellbeing is well catered for. Flexible working, managing sickness absence, stress management – all of that is really normal for us. We look at what benefits are available such as private medical insurance and an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). Psychological support from EAP is available to everyone. We look at best practice in managing performance and absence. We have two wellbeing steering groups that filter down across our businesses.”

As well as working on the staples of good wellbeing at work such as flexi-time and EAP; AXA PPP healthcare incorporates wellbeing values right across the board, from offering health checks to running the staff restaurant.

“We have a growing portfolio of on-site health work, such as offering checks for blood pressure and cholesterol, and having men and women’s health days throughout the year. Education days are popular – we bring in people to talk about smoking, for example, and every time we have one they are completely booked out. We also get involved in other health days throughout the year – for example, on the ‘most depressing day of the year’ we had staff working in our healthcare business coming in sporting Hawaii shirts to do something positive on a depressing day in January.

"In the restaurants (where we have them on site) there are options for healthy eating, and we even do a healthy recipe promotion. We offer complementary therapies such as massage and head massage, which are really popular with staff. There is a real appetite throughout the business to get thinking positively about wellbeing.”

However, getting wellbeing right isn’t just about offering creative interventions, it’s also about culture and allowing both staff and managers to get engaged.

“The approach is also about culture and understanding. Managers need to be allowed to join in, rather than being chained to their desks. One of the things that works spectacularly well is giving the power back to staff to generate their own initiatives, getting them interested in something they own.”

Eugene acknowledges that you have to be realistic about what you can achieve and how much you can spend, but says that sometimes the simplest things are the most effective.

“Sometimes it’s trial and error, you’ll try something complicated and it won’t work, and other times you’ll try something very simple and it’ll be really successful. Even just getting staff going for a walk together at lunchtime is great, and is completely free.”

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