Healthy Workplace Milestone Reached

Bellarine Community Health (BCH) has received Victorian Government recognition for creating an active and healthy workplace.

The recognition is through the Workplace Achievement Program, which is an evidence-based health and wellbeing program that helps create a healthier workplace environment.

The program is aligned with the World Health Organisations’ Health Workplace Model and is delivered by the Cancer Council of Victoria.

BCH has been working towards the Achievement Program benchmarks over the past few years, and late last month, successfully met all the requirements.

“We’re thrilled to have reached all the outcomes of the program,” says BCH Healthy & Connected Communities Planner Zoe Taylor. “We started this program with a staff health and wellbeing survey that helped us shape a plan of action based on staff needs.”

With support from the BCH Leadership Group, the Healthy Communities Team and our health and wellbeing champions as part of the Health and Wellbeing Working Group, BCH has been able to focus on key health areas including healthy eating, mental health and wellbeing, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol and other drugs.

Some of the key health and wellbeing actions implemented by BCH since joining the
program include:

• A global workplace ‘step’ challenge for BCH staff and volunteers
• Staff encouraged to do walking meetings
• New policies around healthy eating and drinking
• Daily movement breaks on top of planned work breaks
• Sit-stand desks on offer for staff, volunteers and students

• Updates to the Smoking Policy and installation of new no smoking and vaping
signage at BCH sites
• Centralised printers to encourage more movement around the office

“It has been great to see our staff involved over the years to help create a positive
workplace with a focus on health and wellbeing,” says Ms Taylor.

BCH will continue to look for ways to improve the physical environment, policies,
practices and health and wellbeing culture at all BCH sites.

More information about the Workplace Achievement Program can be found here.

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