In Touch Therapies is delighted to have just nominated Queens Cross Housing Association for the Workplace Wellbeing Initiative of the Year Award!
Read onto find out why.
Partnership Working
In Touch Therapies in Fife and Queens Cross Housing Association in Glasgow, have been working in partnership since 2014 to deliver regular complementary therapies to a busy front line workforce. The employees at Queens Cross work directly with the public and tenants of the Firhill and Maryhill area of Glasgow. The Association provides high quality social housing as well as a wide range of community services.
From Small Beginnings
In the summer of 2014, one of the Queens Cross Housing Managers was one of the first to take up an offer from In Touch Therapies to experiment with taster events in the workplace. The complementary therapies of indian head massage and reflexology were initially delivered for free onsite at Queens Cross. The events were such a success with the staff that they became a regular feature of an extensive workplace wellbeing programme that is coordinated by the Healthy Working Lives group, made up of Queens Cross staff. The delivery of the whole programme is the responsibility of Dianne Mathewson, Human Resources Officer.
Why is Queens Cross unique in its approach?
Queens Cross offered complementary therapies to staff way before other organisations were considering it. Queens Cross has constantly adapted and developed how they use In Touch to support the health and wellbeing of their workforce. In Touch is now onsite at Queens Cross on three Tuesdays out of every month, offering 9 half four appointments each day.
Dianne is central to the partnership work between In Touch and Queens Cross. Dianne coordinates the appointments for In Touch, circulating the dates on the intranet and using Eventbrite as a booking system for her colleagues. Dianne provides In Touch with a list of appointments on the day. The organisation has agreed that staff can have the time for the appointments and additionally they subsidise the cost of each treatment so that the cost to employees is only £10 per treatment. If there are any cancelled bookings Dianne makes sure these are filled and as a result In Touch is always fully booked for all 9 appointments.
Senior Management Support
The staff pay the treatment cost directly from their salary and In Touch is able to invoice the Association for the entire amount, avoiding time being spent on the day dealing with cash and other payments. Queens Cross provides the same dedicated room each time and In Touch is now able to store a massage table there permanently. As part of a building wide initiative the wellbeing room now has a beautiful and relaxing photographic mural of the local canal, with the bold statement Improving Health and Wellbeing, on the main wall!
Members of the senior management team attend appointments regularly including the Chief Executive, setting a great example to the staff team about the importance of wellbeing. Finally staff can book double appointments and staff who have chronic health conditions have been supported to make regular use of the treatments. Appointments have also been used to support staff as they return to work after a period of illness.
In Touch is very grateful to have such a positive working relationship with Queens Cross Housing Association and to be part of their Health Working Lives programme. In Touch believes that the range of wellbeing supports offered to staff is unique and nominated Queens Cross for this award for their ongoing efforts and innovative approaches.
Interested in your own initiative?
If you are interested in working in partnership with In Touch on a similar initiative contact fiona@in-touch-therapies.co.uk
