How Johnson & Johnson aim to create the world’s healthiest workforce

We were really proud to be named Britain’s Healthiest Workforce and Britain’s Healthiest Company 2015, in a joint initiative between Vitality Health, Mercer and the Sunday Telegraph and we were runner up last year.

We believe this recognition is partly because at J&J, we take a holistic approach to health and wellness and encourage our people to think not only about having a ‘healthy body’ with regards to physical activity and nutrition – but also a ‘healthy mind’. We want to help employees gain a better understanding of mental health and build the confidence to spot the signs both in ourselves and in those colleagues who may need support. This year, J&J is running a series of mental health awareness training programmes for our employees in the UK, led by Mental Health UK’s partner Rethink Mental Illness. It covers various aspects of mental wellbeing, such as effective communication skills for talking about mental health, how to identify signs and symptoms, and ways to look after our own mental wellbeing. I recently took part in this training and found it very helpful for thinking about getting to know yourself better and how this helps you stay well. It could be as simple as looking out for changes such as not smiling as much or not laughing as much you normally do during the day, and taking note of what that tells you about your wellbeing and the wellbeing of the people you work with.

At J&J, we pride ourselves on our innovative approaches to looking after the health and wellbeing of our employees through initiatives such as Energy for Performance® – where participants attend a programme that can help them identify and prioritise the most meaningful components of their lives. We also offer flexible working benefits, gym facilities and fresh fruit in our offices. We combine our focus on health and wellbeing with our commitment to supporting the communities in which we live and work, by running activity challenges where employees are encouraged to complete as many steps as possible, both in and out of work, resulting in a donation to local charities. My team were amazed to find how many steps they took over the course of the challenge.

But it doesn’t stop here. Just as J&J will continue to bring new ideas, products and services to advance the health and wellbeing of people around the world – we will continue to find innovative ways to care for our employees, ensuring they work in an environment which supports them both professionally and personally.

Clare Sicklen – Head of HR, Janssen UK & Ireland

A pharmaceutical company of Johnson & Johnson