Zumba, stress management and massages were the order of the day for Queensland’s Fraser Coast Regional Council staff who recently took part in a Health and Wellbeing Expo organised by their People Development Team.
“Improving awareness of health issues and the overall wellbeing of our staff is very important,” said Fraser Coast Regional Council CEO Andrew Brien. “The expo ensured staff received the best information possible on work life balance, as well as increasing awareness of health issues such as stroke, stress management, organ donation and their financial health.”
The expo was held over two days – one day in Hervey Bay and another in Maryborough to enable staff from depots across the region to attend.
To encourage staff to move around the 15 stalls provided by Fraser Coast businesses, each was given a Healthy Living Passport to be ticked off at each display. There were also loads of giveaways, promotional bags and hands on checks by trained health professionals, ranging from blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) checks to information on screening for bowel cancer and breast cancer.
“Queensland Health staff noticed that quite a few staff had high blood pressure, so they were able to encourage them to seek more extensive health checks,” Andrew Brien said. “While staff were shy about participating in the Zumba sessions, there were quite a few lining up for the laughter workshops and neck massages.”
The expo has been followed up with a 10,000 steps workplace challenge, where teams compete against each other to clock up the most steps, as well as a certified Weight Watchers at Work program. A qualified Weight Watchers consultant conducts meetings and weigh ins in the workplace for participating staff. This concept is designed for participants who are unable to make it to meetings after hours and those wanting support with their weight loss from colleagues.
The People Development Team plan to repeat the expo next year and have incorporated lifestyle training initiatives into Council’s annual corporate training program. Topics will include healthy cooking and personal fitness.
The effort the team put into to organising the expo and its success was recognised by Council.
In September the People Development Team was presented with the Customer Service Award for Service Champion Team (Office).
