A HEALTHY WORKING MANDO
Mando Solutions have made it one of our priorities this year to get on board with the Healthy Working Wales program. Healthy Working Wales supports employers, individuals and a range of health professionals to help working age people in Wales stay fit and healthy so they can remain in employment, or return to work following a period of ill health. The programme consists of a range of services which help to improve organisational performance and reduce the costs and burden of ill health and absence through one to one support, training events and workshops, and online and telephone information and guidance.
As part of Mando’s journey to great health, we are advocates for Stoptober, a worldwide challenge to quit smoking (or any other habit of your choosing) for the month of October. Although habits can burn a whole in your pocket, so can getting help, and with Stoptober in place, people can utilise a range of free resources and support.
Stoptober has driven over 1 million quit attempts to date and is the biggest mass quit attempt in the country. It is based on research that shows that if you can stop smoking for 28-days, you are five times more likely to stay smoke-free for good.
Whilst Stoptober is a campaign in its own right, it is now positioned within the wider One You programme. One You is the PHE programme that helps adults across the country make small changes to their lifestyles that can have a big impact on their future health. In addition to encouraging people to stop smoking, One You also tackles other everyday habits and behaviours such as eating too much unhealthy food, drinking more than is recommended and not being active enough. Over the next 8 weeks, with the Christmas period creeping up, we are going to have our own Christmas Habit Challenge. Each member of the Mando team are going to choose one thing to work at & improve on for the better of their health. To put our own twist on it, we will take an opportunity at our annual Christmas Party to surprise the team, and gift them with something special to congratulate them for making a consistent and long lasting improvement, whatever it is they choose.
We caught up with one of our operators, Martin Bryne, who chose to use Stoptober to cut his cigarettes down to only a few a day, and cut out drinking alcohol entirely. We asked him a few questions, and this is what he said…
What made you decide to take part in Stoptober?
“I had just split up with my girlfriend and I felt like I was going though a mid-life crisis. I wanted to get my head straight and feel healthier all over. I started a healthier lifestyle by quitting alcohol and cut my cigarette intake down to three per day. I have also started going to the gym and by reducing my nicotine intake, this has helped me reach my full fitness potential.”
How long have you had the habit for?
“I have been smoking and drinking for 10 years. I’m not a very big drinker at all but I want to give up entirely.”
What benefits have you seen since giving up?
“Since giving up, I have felt happier, healthier and I have saved money. My mental health has been better and I have found I have been surrounding myself with more positive people, rather than negative people like I was before. I am much more focused in work and on my goals within the company, as well as on my up-coming training.”
Are you going to stick to it, long term?
“Yes, I am going to stick to it and I feel like I might have given up entirely by the end of the month.”
We are so proud of what Martin has achieved in the last 4 weeks. We know that this is going to set a great example ahead of our Christmas Habit Challenge!
But aside from Stoptober, Mando are committed to making our work environment safe & healthy, both mentally and physically. We will be working towards the Healthy Working Wales “Corporate Health Standard” Award, which is in place to development of policies that promote the health and well-being of employees. The below diagram summarises the key areas covered at each award level, which will improve the working lives of all our employees.
Stay tuned for more on our progress with the award, and we hope that this has made you want to make better choices to improve your working life, like it has ours!
