Leading award winning workplace mental health and wellbeing program

www.happybodyatwork.com

HAPPY BODY AT WORK (HBAW) is an innovative 8 week multimedia wellbeing program that focuses on the four key lifestyle areas of:

• SITTING less

• MOVING more

• recognising physical responses to STRESS, and

• improving SLEEP

Growing evidence about the health risks associated with sedentary lifestyle and its impact on the mental health of employees has fuelled demand for evidence based solutions such as HBAW. While many mental health awareness programs focus only on the psychological strategies, HBAW is possibly unique in its focus on introducing a holistic platform of PHYSICAL AND MENTAL STRATEGIES. Using behavioural change models around habit acquisition, the program allows participants to choose strategies that are personally relevant, time effective and simple to implement, leading to high levels of engagement.

To improve the MENTAL AND PHYSICAL RESILIENCE and WELLBEING of

employees by giving them simple strategies to help take the load off body and mind,

both AT WORK and AT HOME.

To provide employers with a PLATFORM AND TOOLS that can be used

as a foundation for ongoing wellbeing strategies and initiatives.

To provide a SIMPLE, ACCESSIBLE, AFFORDABLE, SCALABLE program that

increases the awareness of the impact of mental stress on physical wellbeing

throughout working Australia.

To create CONVERSATIONS that normalise and DE-STIGMATISE mental and physical health challenges and identify some of the

key stressors that are common to many groups.

WHAT ARE THE AIMS?

WHAT IS HAPPY BODY AT WORK?

This 3 min HBAW ANIMATION explains the organisational benefits.

This 90 sec animation explains the personal benefits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPqaMtdWC1U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO-b8UqEKBY

HBAW was created by leading physiotherapist and mind/body expert, Anna-Louise Bouvier in partnership with ABC Commercial, the commercial arm of the ABC.

HBAW is perfectly aligned with ABC Commercial’s strategic focus to educate, create, innovate and engage audiences to enhance the wellbeing of all Australians lives.

Anna-Louise leads an amazing team of professionals who are utterly committed to improving the wellbeing of all Australians. The HBAW team currently includes seven regional business partners and wellbeing consultants, who are supported by a dedicated group of internal staff at the ABC.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

HBAW TEAM

Anna-Louise Bouvier Founder, Director

Happy Body At Work

WHO IS BEHIND IT?

Troy Morgan Business Partner

Julie Taliana Operations Coordinator

Requel Trevillion Wellbeing Consultant

Jane Stevens Wellbeing Consultant

Yinna Too Designer

Melinda Luck Wellbeing Consultant

Laurene McKenzie Sales & Business

Development Manager

Sasha Kahan Communications

Strategist

Sharon Ramsay-Luck Director,

ABC Commercial

Sharon Richens Business Partner

Deborah O’Leary Business Manager

Cyrus Irani Sales Manager,

ABC Commercial

HOLISTIC BENEFITS FLOW FROM THE INDIVIDUAL TO THE COMMUNITYThe holistic benefits of the HBAW program flow from the workplace to home, from the individual to the household and wider community. Participants report positive changes to many aspects of their lives including increased activity levels, reduced sedentary time, improved sleep patterns, fewer aches and pains and increased awareness of the physical signs of emotional stress all of which contribute to self-reported increases in mood, energy, ability to cope with workload and lower levels of self-reported anxiety and depression.

WORLD LEADERThe program is also an innovative world leader confirmed by a successful 10 country global pilot, across four continents, for Ashurst Law Firm (with the view to a 28 country roll out in 2016), an Asia Pacific roll out for Minter Ellison in 2014, and proposals in chain for a number of multinational construction organisations. Its scalability combined with high levels of engagement showcase the ABC’s skill for innovation in education.

CULTURE OF CAREPerhaps one of the strongest impacts of the program is that it starts conversations within workplaces that de-stigmatises the disclosure of feelings of fatigue, low mood and anxiety. At the same time the program reflects a strong culture of care by the company for the employee and an increasing awareness of the physical and mental stressors employees face in their day to day lives.

WHY DO WE NEED IT?

The 24 hour accessibility of digital technology, coupled with longer working hours, high levels of organisational change and reduced job security, is making it harder for Australian workers to separate their work and home lives, resulting in reduced personal and sleep time. This has created a perfect storm that contributes to widespread low levels of mental and physical wellbeing in the community.

HOMEWORK PLACE

COMMUNITY

INDIVIDUAL

LONGER WORKING HOURS, REDUCED PERSONAL AND SLEEP TIME

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as_gp6zWhlQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2zckEgAKdo

MAINTAINING AND SUPPORTING CHANGEThe HBAW team has brought together a group of organisations called CHOOSE ONE Partners. We provide HBAW client organisations with a list of our Partners and point them to their high quality, cost effective (often free) resources that can help to reinforce and sustain behavioural change in each of the target areas and especially in the area of mental health.

Contact with existing internal support initiatives such as the organisations EAP provider is highlighted. Examples of some of our Choose One partner organisations include:

WHAT DO CLIENTS SAY?

As Dean of a Business School, I was struck by the messaging around

energy+resilience+performance / sustainable energy leads to sustainable people leads to

sustainable business growth / ‘it’s good for people but it’s great for your business’. These are of

course critically important notions in their own right, but I also like the point that a commitment

to the program shows that employers actually care about their staff. The messaging also raises

questions about employee welfare as a driver of performance. Once your organization has

participated in the program you can witness for yourself the tangible performance benefits

the program provides. You also get a more nuanced understanding of employee welfare and

how we as employers can help to improve it. Happy Body at Work creates a win-win situation in

which employees and the organization enjoy mutual benefits.

Gregory Whitwell, Dean, Sydney University, School of Business

workplace healthpromotion network

WHY IS IT EFFECTIVE?

SUPPORTED BY A PLATFORM OF

DELIVERED AS AN EVENT IN A BOX

MULTIMEDIA WELLBEING PRODUCT

ENTERTAINING MESSAGES

EVIDENCE BASEDEDUCATION

CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT TOOL

EASE OF DELIVERY SCALABILITYSTATISTICSAND DATA

WHAT WE FOCUS ON

HOW IS IT IMPLEMENTED?

The eight week program is delivered as an EVENT IN A BOX and includes a step-by-step roll out schedule, digital assets including video clips, emails, surveys, survey results and hard copy materials including posters, newsletters and brochures. A HBAW coordinator is available to provide advice and support throughout the duration of the program.

1 http://www.cqaimh.org/pdf/tool_phq2.pdf

Kroenke K1, Spitzer RL, Williams JB The Patient Health Questionnaire-2: validity of a two-item depression screener. Med Care. 2003 Nov;41(11):1284-92.

WEEK 1: SURVEYBegins with a short electronic survey in which respondents answer a series of questions about physical and mental lifestyle factors including sleep, activity levels and self-reported stressors. A simple anxiety rating scale and a PHQ2 depression scale1 also increase the ability for the employer to explore the link between low levels of mental and physical wellbeing in their teams. The survey achieves response rates of 50-85%, which most employers see as outstanding.

WEEK 2: A LIVE LAUNCH EVENT Laughter, interaction and sticky messages have been skilfully woven into the LIVE LAUNCH to create maximum impact for employees, delivering evidence based messages and survey data in an engaging and enjoyable way. This event is a powerful tool that introduces the core messages of the program and reinforces their relevance in everyday life.

WEEKS 3-7: STICKY WEEKLY MESSAGES

Practical positive messaging via bi weekly videos, newsletters and health posters delivered in engaging grabs that can be accessed on participants smartphone, tablet or computer with 24 hour access to material and minimal time commitment. The combination of high quality messages with humour and problem/solution formatting give employees confidence to attempt change.

WEEK 8: POST PROGRAM SURVEY

Participants are surveyed again, and the results released in a simple Infographic form providing feedback and comprehensive data for ongoing strategic decision making.

HOW DO WE MEASURE SUCCESS?

• University of Sydney and UTS have undertaken across University rollouts for their staff.

• Macquarie University have their Doctoral Physiotherapy Students involved in work experience on the program.

• University of Sydney have used parts of the program in a sedentary lifestyle research study and UQ Centre for Cancer Research is one of our Choose One partners

HBAW’s anonymous employee surveys provide comprehensive data for ongoing strategic decision making. Cumulative results from rollouts to over 15000 employees, including companies such as the ASX, University of Sydney, Ashurst, Minter Ellison, BOSTES, Crimtrac and Optus reveal 2 :

SHARE FACTOR EASY TO USE FACTOR

CARE FACTOR

91% OF YOU FOUND IT RELEVANT TO YOUR WORK AND HOME LIFE

91% THOUGHT THE STRATEGIES YOU LEARNT WERE BENEFICIAL

86% discussed things you learnt with family, friends and colleagues

The things you like most about the program is that it was PRACTICAL LIGHT AND ENJOYABLE EASY TO ACCESS EASY TO APPLY GOOD FOR WORK AND HOME

85% felt the program showed that we care about some of the challenges you face in your work and home life

2 Of the participants who complete the exit survey

COST EFFECTIVENESSHBAW represented an INVESTMENT of 0.05% of an EMPLOYEE SALARY OF $120,000.

BRIGHTER and

MORE ENERGISED

64% are feeling

52% MORE AWARE OF PHYSICAL THINGS

that affect their MOOD and ENERGY67% COPING BETTER with

WORKLOAD and

STRESS

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

They are 19% LESS TIRED WHICH IS GREAT

UNIVERSITIES EMBRACE HAPPY BODY AT WORK

2 Of the participants who complete the exit survey