Six Steps to Engaged Employees by Mark Price

Author:Mark Price [Mark Price]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788451673
Publisher: David Fickling Books Ltd
Published: 2019-03-15T16:00:00+00:00

WELL-BEING – WINNER

Mars

At first glance it is hard to equate a company that makes chocolate snacks and fast food as a champion of health and well-being, but that is exactly what Mars is trying to do. The family-owned confectionery business, which is also behind brands from Dolmio, to Uncle Ben’s, to the famous eponymous chocolate bar, has more than 70,000 associates, which is what Mars calls its employees, in 73 countries. It aims to be an industry leader in health and well-being because it recognises that this underpins engagement and productivity.

Although Mars is focused on food health and well-being for its customers, promoting initiatives to improve the nutritional content of its products and inspiring healthy cooking and eating at home, a big part of the strategy centres on its team. Mars has devised a five-pronged approach to good health, which includes well-being initiatives in the following areas: careers – about liking what you do all day; social – focusing on relationships and love; financial; physical and community. The Mars ‘Winning with Wellness’ programme aims to provide all associates with opportunities to make informed choices about their health and lifestyles, with the emphasis on diet and nutrition, physical activity, stress management and stopping smoking.

It is already well into the process of incorporating kitchens into each of the Mars Foods sites, so its associates can prepare and enjoy healthy meals together at work. It provides nutrition education to advise its team on how to plan balanced diets and produce healthy, affordable menus. Running in conjunction with the healthy eating initiative is a programme to make it easier for associates to introduce more physical activity into their daily routines with access to fitness facilities.

Mars also makes a point of linking with external campaigns, such as National No Smoking day, the Stoptober stop smoking campaign, Change for Life and Sport Relief, providing support and encouragement for associates to participate. A Wellness Calendar shows key goals and activities for each quarter, all backed by free exercise classes. Sessions are also held on health and awareness, and how to spot symptoms of disease. As a pleasant backdrop to all the hard work there are on-site ‘health kiosks’ offering massage and chiropody, as well as rapid access to physiotherapy. The campaign is constantly monitored to check the trends and ensure associates maintain their engagement.

Early pilots produced great results. In Australia, for example, the programme resulted in a 40 per cent reduction in obesity and a 75 per cent reduction in reported depression. It wasn’t just good for the individuals that saw an improvement in their health either. Since the programme was rolled out down under, Mars experienced a 13:1 return on investment from reductions in injuries and absenteeism.

Overall, the well-being campaign has been greeted with enthusiasm, with 89 per cent of staff surveyed saying the campaign has positively supported their energy levels and resilience, and 68 per cent saying they had made long-term lifestyle changes to support their well-being. There has also been a decrease in reported stress levels and an increase in daily productivity.

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