Progressive Businesses: How employers can support their teams in leading healthier lives
The Government’s new obesity strategy sets out the increasingly urgent need to tackle rising obesity in the UK. At the same time, employers are facing increasing demands to take care of their employees’ health and wellbeing.
Slimming World’s Employee Partnerships Lead, Joanne Allen, recently took part in Midlands Business Insider's online forum on Progressive Businesses alongside other representatives from companies such as Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, NEC Group and Towergate Health & Protection to discuss the role that business can play in improving staff health and wellbeing.
Joanne discussed ways in which employers can support their employees to live healthier lives, improving both their physical and mental health . She shared information about Slimming World’s workplace health scheme and how the weight loss organisation has helped businesses across the UK to make a difference to the health of their staff.
Commenting on how employers are beginning to re-evaluate their health and wellbeing plans, Joanne shared that many progressive businesses are canvassing employees, looking to provide more personalised support for individual employees.
Joanne says: “Obesity, and associated health conditions, may lead to absenteeism and affect an employee’s ability and motivation to fulfil a role which can lead to difficult conversations about performance. Raising the issue of weight sensitively and encouraging staff to manage their weight can help to ensure a healthier, happier, and more productive workforce.
Research of Slimming World members shows that weight loss results in significant physical and mental health benefits, and 91% of members report that being a Slimming World member made them feel more positive about themselves. More than two-thirds commented that their Slimming World group makes them feel they are not alone.
“As businesses face increasing pressure to provide improved health benefits and promote good physical and mental health, employers who provide access or signpost to sustainable healthy lifestyle support lead the way in investing in their people.”
Slimming World was founded by Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE in Derbyshire in 1969 and has become the UK and Ireland’s leading weight loss organisation with more people choosing to attend a Slimming World group each week than any other weight loss programme. We support hundreds of thousands of people, both in our groups and online, to lose weight and to adopt new habits to stay slim for life.
Over the years our founding principles haven’t changed:
- Our unique programme is based on a powerfully motivating support system called IMAGE (Individual Motivation and Group Experience) Therapy. Underpinned by a deep understanding of the psychology of overweight people, and incorporating the most effective sustainable behaviour change techniques, IMAGE Therapy is designed to inspire and motivate slimmers to make positive changes and to develop new, healthier habits around food and activity.
- Food Optimising is our healthy eating plan, based on the liberating concept of Free Food. We encourage our members to fill up on those foods that are naturally lower in energy density (calories per gram) and also highly satisfying while limiting foods that are highest in fat and sugar and are less satisfying, so they lose weight without ever feeling hungry or deprived and without having to weigh, measure or count everything they eat.
- Our activity programme, Body Magic, encourages members to become more active, more often in ways that they enjoy, until regular physical activity becomes an intrinsic part of daily routine.
Above all, at the heart of everything we do, lies our passion for treating every member with genuine care, empathy and respect.
We’re proud to work with the NHS, Public Health England, The Royal College of Midwives and others to help shape the future of weight management in the UK.
For further information please contact the Slimming World press office on email public.relations@slimmingworld.co.uk