What you need to do

Undertake a Staff Health and Wellbeing Survey/Health Needs Assessment (HNA) along with gathering other data for analysis to decide on health and wellbeing priorities in the workplace and develop an action plan to address these.

BL1.1 – Undertake Staff Health and Wellbeing Survey

Toolkit – Recommended WMCA Resources

The WMCA have developed a Staff Health & Wellbeing Survey/Health Needs Assessment (HNA) questionnaire that meets the requirements of the Thrive at Work commitment; we recommend that you either base your survey on these questions or use the Health Needs Assessment created by WMCA in order to meet the accreditation requirements.

If you wish to use the Thrive at Work online Health Needs Assessment, please email thriveaccreditation@wmca.org.uk to request for a bespoke survey link to be made available to your organisation.

BL1.1 - Additional summary data from other sources gathered as part of health needs assessment

Our Enablers of Health Summary Form, can be used to assist you in gathering additional wellbeing data (e.g. Occupational Health, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), exit interviews) and can be completed and uploaded as suitable evidence to meet BL1.1.

BL1.3 - Thrive at Work Commitment Action Plan

Here is the Thrive at Work Commitment Action Plan Excel Spreadsheet - complete all 5 tabs (Foundation, Enablers of Health, Mental Health, MSK, Lifestyles) to breakdown how you will evidence all the Thrive criteria for Foundation and Bronze. This document can be used as a working project plan throughout your journey. 

Toolkit – Additional National Resources

BL1.1 - Additional summary data gathered as part of health needs assessment

We've included examples below of blogs on survey engagement to give you some ideas and examples on how to launch and promote your HNA survey:

Snap Survey;  25 Ways to Increase Survey Response Rates

Culture Amp blog: Do's & don'ts of encouraging engagement survey participation

BL1.2 – Communicate findings to senior management

You can also get some ideas on how to improve health and wellbeing in the workplace from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence website.    

Guidance on COVID-19, returning to the workplace, published by The Society of Occupational Medicine can be accessed here SOM: Returning to the workplace after COVID-19   

BL1.3 - Thrive at Work Commitment Action Plan

Core Standard One found on page 6 in the Thriving at Work Mental Health Standards Guide from Mind provides information that will help you complete the mental health section of your wellbeing action plan. 

What you need to do

Calculate baseline metrics for your organisation. This will involve establishing sickness absence and staff turnover costs, by calculating baseline statistics that work out the cost of sickness absence and staff turnover to the organisation.

Complete the organisation self-assessment against the Thrive Workplace Wellbeing Criteria. We recommend that you use the Thrive at Work excel tool which brings together your organisation self-assessment and action plan. 

Toolkit – Recommend WMCA Resources

HW1.1 - Health & Wellbeing Lead 

The DWP Workplace Wellbeing Tool Base-line Statistics (Excel Spreadsheet) can be used to help calculate the annual cost of sickness absence and staff turnover.

HW 1.2 Health & Wellbeing Lead 

Our excel tool can assist you to Complete both your Thrive at Work self-assessment and later your action plan (BL1.3)

For your self-assessment starting point use the traffic-light rating system (RAG) in column D across all 5 tabs of our Thrive at Work Commitment Action Plan to create a gap analysis. 

What you need to do
Record when and why staff take time off work and collect data broken down by cause of sickness.

Toolkit – Recommend WMCA Resources

AM2.1 - Attendance Management

Thrive at Work has developed an Absence Management Database Tool (excel spreadsheet) for organisations that do not already record the data.

Toolkit - National Resources

CIPD offer the following absence measurement and management guidance. Where you can learn how to measure sickness absence, the main components of an absence policy, and how to address short and long-term absence in an organisation.

ACAS offer the following absence from work guidance.

HSE NI have published information on recording sickness absence and managing return to work.