Recent figures have revealed that 120,000 people in Northern Ireland are currently classified as ‘long-term sick’. One of the key contributors to this rise in long-term absence is work-related stress, along with anxiety and depression, which accounted for half of all work-related ill health in 2023, according to the HSE’s Labour Force Survey.

At Stepping Stones NI, we prioritise the health of our staff. A number of our staff members undergone Health Champion training, equipping them with the skills to develop and implement a comprehensive three year health and wellbeing action plan.

Although we are still in the early stages, the programme has already had a positive impact. As part of our action plan, we’ve introduced a range of new initiatives linked to national health awareness days.

Our first campaign focused on sleep health. Staff received a wellbeing email with helpful resources, including links to podcasts and articles. To bring the theme to life, we invited staff to wear their pyjamas to work on Friday, which opened conversations around the importance of sleep.

For World Happiness Day, our marketing executive visited different sites to film a social media video featuring both trainees and staff members sharing what makes them happy. One team member even delivered his message in Russian!

Ashley Bolton, Employment Officer at Stepping Stones NI, shared her enthusiasm for the programme’s impact:

“The programme has been brilliant in supporting our long term strategy which is really about that pillar around increasing staff engagement, increasing staff retention and becoming an employer of choice. In Stepping Stones NI, there is already so much in place in terms of benefits for the employees, but this is just another thing that sets us apart from other employers.”

Jenna Pike, Director of Organisation Quality and Impact, added:

“Do it! We would recommend the programme to any other organisation, particularly if you are looking to improve your profile and boost recruitment.”

Participation in the Work Well Live Well programme is just one of the many ways Stepping Stones NI is reinforcing its commitment to creating a supportive, healthy and inclusive workplace.

For more information about the programme and how it could benefit your organisation, visit the NICHS website.