Arden & GEM has been awarded gold in the ‘We invest in wellbeing’ accreditation – part of the internationally recognised Investors in People framework – for its efforts to develop and nurture a culture of wellbeing.
Gold accreditation recognises those organisations that have a good wellbeing strategy in place, that’s clearly supported by everyone, and is having a positive effect to make work better. With just 22% of organisations worldwide achieving the gold standard, the Investors in People assessor described Arden & GEM as a “pioneer organisation”.
The assessment process considered how well social, physical and psychological health and wellbeing were supported within the CSU and included:
- A presentation of the health and wellbeing strategy
- A demonstration of how it has been implemented
- A showcase of the wide range of activities and tools on offer.
Crucially, Investors in People conducted an all staff survey and interviews with several members of staff from across the organisation to independently determine how well initiatives had been embedded.
John Parkes, Managing Director at Arden & GEM said: “It is a fantastic achievement to have been accredited as a gold organisation in our first ever assessment and I would like to thank everyone involved in the application, including those staff who participated in the survey and interviews.
“At Arden & GEM, we have always had a strong commitment to the health and wellbeing of our staff and, like many organisations, the past 12 months have required us to adapt how we deliver our health and wellbeing strategy in response to the different ways of working brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
“By embracing technology and, even more importantly, helping our people manage the psychological and emotional impact of this change, we have been able to continue to support our employees which has in turn enabled us to continue delivering high quality services to our healthcare clients.”
Arden & GEM was found to have demonstrated its commitment to investing in staff wellbeing and showed ambition to continually improve and do even more to foster a culture that prioritises physical, psychological and social wellbeing. This was evidenced by a range of initiatives including:
- Participation in Global Challenges to promote increased physical activity
- Establishing ‘community’ sites and forums on Microsoft Teams to encourage collaboration and social interaction
- Launching a ‘How are you feeling?’ button and resource section on the intranet to acknowledge mood and signpost people to appropriate support.
The gold accreditation will be in place until March 2024, with periodic reviews to support the CSU in its journey of continuous improvement.
Find out more about how we help other NHS organisations increase employee wellbeing here.