The company Managing Director of Gu Puds was sent the following report as an overview of the day we spent with his company.  In addition to this, employees enjoyed personal consultations, first with the assessor to take blood pressure and other requested measurements, a consultation with the doctor followed by a nutrition and lifestyle consultation with the specialist.  

Gü Puds
Health of Gü employees report

By: Dr Mark Tyrrell & Roly White

Introduction

The aim of this report is to provide feedback on the health and lifestyle issues raised through the questionnaires and discussions with Gü employees during the health and lifestyle assessment day.

Health and lifestyle assessment day

Dr Mark Tyrrell (General Practitioner), Roly White (Holistic Health Practitioner) and Kate Pierce Williams (Assessor) attended Gü headquarters in London and consulted with 12 Gü employees over the course of the day and also ran a 30 minute stress buster workshop at lunch.

Our objectives were:

For the employer:

i) To improve the health and wellbeing of Gü employees thereby increasing productivity and reducing sickness absence.
ii) To demonstrate to Güemployees that they are valued by their employer and that their health and wellbeing is considered important.

For employers and employees:

i) To provide opportunities for individuals within Gü as an organisation to explore their health ideas, concerns and needs.
ii) To offer opportunities to discuss these issues in groups and on a one to one basis with confidentiality assured.
iii) To offer sources of reliable information in order that individuals can make informed health and lifestyle choices, which in turn will hopefully have a positive impact on their health and vitality.
iv) To motivate Gü employers and employees to assist each other in maintaining healthy workplace environments and lifestyles.

Key findings from the questionnaires, consultations and workshop:

Overview

The majority of Gü employees consulted were found to be young, fit and healthy. However each employee had issues they wanted to discuss both with a doctor and a holistic health practitioner and for those whom were unsure what they would gain there were some surprising lessons learnt. From discussing health concerns running in families to previous and current personal health issues this was an ideal opportunity to shape future health. Topics such as diet, exercise, sleep, contraception, smoking, migraines, hay fever, breast / testicular awareness and much more were all discussed.

Stress

From the questionnaires 30% of Gü employees felt that they were under excess stress. As a result we ran a 30 minute workshop on recognising and preventing stress and various relaxation techniques that can be employed to reduce stress. This was well received and provided an opportunity to discuss personal experiences. A suggestion that arose from the workshop was that employees would feel less stressed and therefore make better decisions by taking occasional short breaks. These breaks should be encouraged and will allow the brain to process information and work more efficiently.

Workstation ergonomics

65% of employees felt that their workstation was not ergonomically set up. Posture and the correct setting up of a work station were discussed at the consultations. This is incredibly important as some employees are already suffering with neck and back problems. Gü as an employer has a statutory duty to assess the risks arising from the use of workstations and take steps to reduce any risks identified under the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992. It is therefore advised that formal ergonomic assessments are made as soon as possible. (see: ergowise.co.uk)

Air quality

Working in a basement office means air circulation and quality was felt not to be optimal by many employees. Fans and air purification units can assist although the imminent move from the basement will hopefully improve working conditions. Plants can also help to freshen the air and can create a more relaxing natural environment. (see: www.cleanair.co.uk)

Lighting

Again working in a basement means natural light levels are low or non existent. Prolonged strain on the eyes as a result can be a trigger for migraines or headaches. There are special lights which can be used to recreate ‘natural’ light. (see: www.aculite.com)

Diet

Unsurprisingly, some of the Gü staff ate too much sugar (an occupational hazard we acknowledge). Employees were reminded of the problems of excess sugar in the diet (obesity and diabetes) and interested individuals were given a handout for background reading. 

Water intake

Many employees are not consuming enough water throughout the day.

Water is extremely important and often forgotten. 2-3 litres each day are required to maintain a healthy hydrated body and brain for optimal functioning. Water coolers could be installed in the office or staff should be encouraged to keep a water bottle by their desk. (see www.watercoolersdirect.com)

Exercise

Some of the staff had let exercise routines slip. We discussed the benefits of regular exercise, we talked to employees about what exercise they enjoyed and worked out a realistic plan of action for development. Suggestions were made such as swimming at the local pool, working out a personal morning routine and walking to work. Staff were receptive to the idea that there is an optimum level to exercise and that too much or too little exercise can be detrimental to their immune system and general health.

Health Screening

Employees were reminded of the common diseases caused by a poor lifestyle most importantly: diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The commonest and most treatable cancers in young people are breast and cervical cancer in young women and testicular cancer in young men. Both groups were reminded how to examine themselves and the importance of attending screening programmes.

Motivation to change

It was refreshing to consult with such a vibrant group of employees. When asked how motivated individual Gü employees were towards making changes in their lives and achieving their goals most stated 8/10 or highly motivated.

Feedback from employees

The feedback received to date has been very positive and we have detailed it below to show how much Gü employees valued the day.

Specific quotes:

“It was nice to just discuss a few things and have the kind of chat you can’t have with your normal GP”

“I was really impressed, they put me at ease and came over as knowledgeable, receptive, caring and modern”

“The process flowed seamlessly and what could be a difficult scenario (some people might find it tricky to discuss weaknesses) ended up feeling like an exciting set of opportunities.”

“Very pleased, very grateful and very pleased again.”

“A good refresher and great advice.”

“Informative, friendly and refreshing.”

Questionnaire feedback:

A questionnaire was given to each employee at the end of the day and the answers provided are as follows:

Were the questionnaires easy to understand and complete?

Yes     100%              No       0%                  No answer     0%

1. Did you understand the benefit of the assessments prior to attending?

Yes     88%                No       0%                  No answer     13%               

1. Overall, did you feel the assessments and workshops were useful?

Yes     100%              No       0%                  No answer     0%                 

1. Did you think the equipment and setting was adequate?

Yes     88%                No       0%                  No answer     13%               

1. Did you feel comfortable talking about your health issues?

Yes     100%              No       0%                  No answer     0%                 

1. Did the session deal directly with your health issues?

Yes     100%              No       0%                  No answer     0%                 

1. Would you feel comfortable talking about most health issues with your colleagues?

Yes     50%                No       50%                No answer     0%                 

1. Did you learn something about your health today? If so what specifically?

Yes     88%                No       0%                  No answer     13%               

1. Would you like a follow up appointment?

Yes     75%                No       13%                No answer     13%               

1. If yes, how long do you think it should be before we meet again?

            6 answers ranged from 4-12 weeks

1. Did you think there was enough time to cover everything in the session?

Yes     75%                No       25%                No answer     0%                 

1. Did you think the workshop was informative?

Yes     100%              No       0%                  No answer     0%                 

Summary

Overall we had a great day at Gü and are continuing to get positive feedback from your staff.  From the feedback received we feel we have had a positive impact on Gü employees and have hopefully started to plant ideas which will create a better performing work force that is more motivated, feels more valued and has a healthier outlook. 

We genuinely believe that by embracing some of the ideas discussed over the course of the day and through this report your employees will take less sick days and be more productive.

In order to reinforce these ideas and give others an opportunity to seek help and advice we would like to propose a revisit in 2-3 months time .

We remain confident our fee will be more than covered by the many positive benefits Gü and its employees will gain.

We hope you find this report useful, any further feedback is welcomed.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Dr Mark Tyrrell and Roly White

HEALTHtext.co.uk