Kent firm takes strides to improve employee well-being

Lucy Tomlinson, Workplace Health Activator for Kent Sport and Physical Activity Service opens a new break-out room for local company, Bedfont Scientific Ltd.

Amidst increasing concerns after the push from The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry for the Heads Together campaign, mental health and well-being at work has come under the spotlight. Local medical device manufacturer, Bedfont, has been taking strides to improve their employee well-being, and their latest project is a new break-out room, which will be opened by Lucy Tomlinson.

According to the latest figures from the Mental Health at Work report, “60% of employees have experienced a mental health problem due to work or where work was a contributing factor at some point in their career”1, making employee well-being a key issue that businesses are now striving to address.

On Thursday 3rd May, Bedfont’s latest idea was brought to life; a break-out room for employees to eat, relax, and hang out. The break-out room is simply an area set aside from the busy offices where staff can eat their lunch, chill on the beanless bags, receive PEMF therapy, and even play table tennis or uno!

For the past couple of years, Bedfont has taken several other measures to help contribute to improving employee well-being and morale. This includes organising more physical activities, providing a wide range of fruit, celebrating achievements with employee of the month and year awards, workiversary celebrations and a flexi-hours scheme. Furthermore, now that the warmer months are arriving, the weekly walks and after-work fitness classes are recommencing, all which promote a healthy lifestyle, plus boost well-being and mentality.

In fact, Bedfont has appointed 2 Well-being Warriors, Jade and Niki, to make sure that this healthy trend continues and to come up with more new and inspiring ways to motivate everyone and get people moving. Their first act was to gift the Bedfont family with their own personalised water bottles complete with a hydration tracker.

Jason Smith, Managing Director, says, “We are more than just a company, we are the Bedfont family, and I feel personally responsible for the health and well-being of everyone here. Of course, we offer the traditional benefits such as healthcare, but I believe it is the strategies we have put in place to care for our employees above and beyond the standard that makes them feel happy and at ease whilst at work. This new break-out room will hopefully encourage more employees to socialise and take a break when it’s needed; I know all too well how easy it is to lock yourself away working and without a break, even eating lunch at my desk. This is something I’d like to change because it is very easy to get stressed and bogged down which can, in turn, affect your health. Each member of the Bedfont family works tirelessly and they deserve this break-out room for a bit of fun and relaxation. ”

REFERENCES

1.     Business in the Community. Mental Health at Work Report 2017. London: Business in the Community; 2018.