Health and Wellbeing Case Studies Greenslopes Private Hospital What does it take to be an award winning workplace? Greenslopes Private Hospital (GPH), the winner of the prestigious 2006 HR Award in the category of "Best Health and Wellbeing Strategy" has the answer. GPH's success came from a combination of focused commitment to the notion of employee health and well-being, and a series of well-funded and innovative programs. To maintain the focus, GPH employs a dedicated Wellness Coordinator who is responsible for the success of their staff wellness program and who is assisted by a team of wellness professionals. Examples of some of their exciting and innovative strategies include:
- an on-site child care centre
- a state-of-the-art Wellness Centre
- an on-site gymnasium
- sponsored family oriented events
- education grants
- reward programs including distribution of an Entertainment Book to all permanent staff
- a Strategic Plan that includes workload management strategies
- discounts on travel, banking, health insurance and on-site pharmacy
The range of flexible work practices that GPH employs is also impressive with rostered days off, part-time work, job-sharing, flexible shifts, working from home, paid maternity and carers' leave, cultural leave, an additional one week's leave for permanent night staff, and lactation breaks.
So what's in it for GPH? The answer is a significant and positive impact on their bottom line. GPH evaluated their wellness programs and found positive impacts on retention, recruitment, workplace culture and employee health. Specific benefits to the organisation have included: - a 68% reduction in workers' compensation costs since 2003
- their Recruitment Indicator Evaluation showed that 1 in 5 staff nominated the Wellness Program as a major factor for selecting GPH as an employer
- stress claims are well below industry norms
- more than 5% reduction in staff turnover in a two year period, and
- a 24.8% lower rate of absenteeism among Club Wellness members.
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