The City of South Perth recognises that good employee health and wellbeing boosts workforce resilience and leads to increased productivity and the achievement of organisational outcomes.
An annual Health and Wellness Program is delivered for employees, supporting their physical and mental health, and providing a workplace environment and culture which supports healthy lifestyle choices.
The program is designed to meet employees’ diverse interests, needs and work arrangements. This includes fitness and lifestyle challenges, regular nutrition awareness workshops, small group health and nutrition coaching, and preventative programs such as flu vaccinations, skin screening, ergonomic assessments, and health assessments.
The new WHS regulations introduced requirements to manage psychosocial hazards in the workplace. To be proactive in this space, the city has five trained mental health first aiders whose activities are imbedded into the city’s Annual Health and Wellness Program. These include physical activities and seminars to promote tools and strategies to build resilience and to enhance mental wellness throughout the year.
The city also facilitates regular ‘Lunch and Learn’ sessions on mental health including an annual ‘R U OK Day’ event and a seasonal ‘Looking after yourself in the Festive Season’ workshop.
A testimony to the program’s success was recognised through various industry awards. The City of South Perth Health and Wellness Program was the award-winning program of the Enterprise Health and Wellbeing Initiative in 2020. For two years in row, the program was also a finalist in the prestigious Workplace Wellbeing Excellence category with AIM WA Pinnacle Leadership Excellence Award program.
The best measure of success is demonstrated through employee participation and positive feedback. The city recorded an 89.5 per cent satisfaction rate with its Health and Wellness Program in the May 2022 Employee Health and Wellness Survey. Feedback received is being used to enhance the program in the coming years.
