United Utilities have put the health and wellbeing of their staff at the front of their thinking and pledged to be an Active Workplace. Providing a water and waste service from Crewe to Carlisle, United Utilities have offices and services spanning the North West of England. Health and wellbeing is high on the agenda at United Utilities, offering staff membership for a gym at Lingley Mere (as well as corporate membership at other local gyms), online nutritional programmes, heavily subsidised smoking cessation classes and free private healthcare. In addition to this staff are encouraged to be physically active with a running club, various challenges via the Workplace Challenge, taster sessions, classes in the gym with a virtual option – Zumba, yoga and strictly competition to learn dance and to perform at a gala event.
There are also approximately 70/80 health and wellbeing workplace champions within the organisation who meet quarterly and communicate regularly to promote physical activity. They will be addressing inactivity/ sedentary behaviour during working hours by introducing a skipping challenge, table tennis tournaments, scheduled lunchtime walks and walking football/ netball. United Utilities want to increase physical activity before and after work and so have encouraged participation in a running club, with places for the English half marathon, 10K, 5K and 1-mile race. They are promoting increased use of the new facilities & pool at Sankey Hub to inspire swimming with promotional taster sessions. The most exciting objective of their action plan to increase Active Travel (cycling, walking, etc…) in particular with employees living within a 3-mile radius. United Utilities have established and drawn up an Active Travel Plan and looked at an incentive scheme to promote Active Travel.
If you would like further information or wish to pledge as a workplace, please get in touch by clicking HERE and completing the form.