We asked Dr Steven Boorman CBE a few questions about his work at Empactis, the Council for Work and Health and about workplace wellbeing. Find out more below:
Q: What are Empactis and what are their goals?
"Empactis is a software technology business which helps managers do the right thing at the right time to support the wellbeing of their employees. Empactis provides support for managers to help them understand why they are doing something and to equip them with what they can offer their managees. It then tracks and records the outcomes, if things become more complicated you can go back and reflect on processes taken up to this stage."
"Actions are crucial, so it is important to support managers in their role and Empactis does this through technology. There are 180,000 employees using the tool across a broad range of sectors. The data collected through the tool is extremely useful for employers to measure the wellbeing of their employees."
Q: How do you think employers can best support the health and wellbeing of their employees?
"Employers can best support the health and wellbeing of their employees through effectively creating a healthy workplace by promoting it through their business, culture and ways of working. A good workplace will be able to create these conditions. Businesses with healthy workplaces will experience more productivity. Employers can help create the right environment through people and processes, ensuring the leaders are appropriately trained and supported to support the healthy workplace."
Q: What are your top tips for managers on how they can support their staff?
"Talk to your people! Some people can be reluctant to talk about it but it’s important to ask your employees how they are feeling and if there is anything they need. Very simple things can go a long way. Having one to ones and creating the conditions in work where you can talk about wellbeing is very important."
Q: Can you tell us a bit about the work that The Council for Work and Health does?
"The Council for Work and Health was established 8 and a half years ago. It brings together over 40 organisations representing 1 million professionals. Offering opportunities for networking and sharing of information so organisation can learn from examples of best practice in the industry. The Council for Work and Health also responds to consultations from policy makers and acts as a way of disseminating information. It is a one stop shop for information and advice for health and wellbeing at work.
