Jacky says maintaining a healthy work/life balance is critical.
"It's just a no-brainer for me. PR as an industry is notorious for burnout and having suffered from that myself, I am extremely conscious to ensure it doesn't happen at Shine."
The company also sponsors staff entry fees for events and is assembling a relay team for the national swim series. They accommodate flexible working hours and working from home to support re-entry to work for new parents.
"I even took my own advice...and took some time off to spend more time with our children during a particularly stressful time on the home front."
At Trevelyan's Pack and Cool in Te Puke, nearly two dozen employees get to sweat with All Blacks' fitness guru Nic Gill.
The ABs strength and conditioning coach is conducting an 80-day programme to help staff reach fitness goals. Trevelyan's human resource manager Jodi Johnstone says a new gym and two-kilometre walking track have also been set up so employees can exercise during breaks.
"One girl from the load-out area, she's motivated to do something about her weight and her whole team has come in around her, so the forkies say, 'Off you go, get out there.'"
Jodi says the company is also providing free porridge each morning and the cafeteria menu is getting a makeover, including a pie-free trial day this week.
"They're horrible things," she laughs. "The goal is to bring in healthier options."
Jodi says one employee has already lost about 8kg.
"It was just that little push they needed. Just to know your employer actually gives a shit. We work pretty hard here; we work long hours and have big, challenging jobs. From an employer's perspective you get a lot more out of people if they're exercising and also cutting out sugar."
She says Trevelyan's workforce swells from about 150 permanent staff up to 1600 seasonal staff between March and June. "This is the time to play and explore and see what works."
Waiariki Bay of Plenty Polytechnic is another employer offering staff health and wellness options. Human Resources advisor Aleisha Newlands says employees can apply for flexible working arrangements.
"Employees and managers usually mutually agree on a case by case basis if the employee needs to work from home or have flexible hours."
Parental leave is the same as statutory requirements (18 weeks paid), with the addition of a payment equivalent to six weeks' pay upon return from leave. Child care is available (for a fee) on-site, and the aquatic and fitness centres in Tauranga and Rotorua offer free lunchtime classes and swims to staff, along with reduced full membership rates.
A manager at the Rotorua Lakes Council says staff wellbeing is a top priority, since it has been linked to improved productivity, morale, and reduced absenteeism and risk of injury.
"Our Wellness Policy was implemented in 2011 and it is supported by our participation in the Toi Te Ora WorkWell programme which recently gained Silver accreditation."
Strategy and groups manager Jean-Paul Gaston says council encourages individuals to take more ownership of their health through education and activities such as good nutrition and eye health seminars, council bikes for staff to use and Walking Wednesdays.
He estimates about 5 per cent of the 419 staff telecommute or work flexible hours. Though no formal policy is in place, Jean-Paul says managers seek to accommodate flexible work requests as much as possible.
Shine PR director Jacky James says her firm helps during times of illness, too. She says one of her team members has been working part-time for three months while recovering.
"We did everything we could to support her with this recovery...but it came as a huge surprise to me to have feedback from one of her specialists that our approach was the exception, rather than the norm."
Workplace Wellbeing - Expert Analysis
Chris Till, chief executive at the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand (HRINZ), says ultimately, businesses must run on trust.
"People hate to be micromanaged."
Chris says younger employees, especially, will leave companies that follow an outdated model of 9 to 5 office work.
"One of the major reasons companies might have a desire to create an environment of well-being is to attract and retain them [employees]. With social media, nobody's going to believe in the window dressing. They're interested in the substance that lies behind it. Many millennials see the workplace as a consumer experience. If they don't like it, they'll just move on to somewhere else."
The HRINZ chief executive prefers the term life-work balance rather than work-life balance.
"The world of work is massively changing. We're moving to a knowledge-based economy, globalised labour markets, a work anywhere, anytime culture."
He also says the pattern of damage, or harm to employees has changed from 30 years ago. Back then, he says musculoskeletal issues were the main cause of sickness and absence, but today mental ill health has taken the top spot.
"When I was a kid they used to say hard work never killed anybody. I say BS to that. It can kill you, it can cause cancer, it can cause long-term psychological damage."
Changes to New Zealand's Health and Safety at Work Act which took effect in April require organisations to look out for employees' mental health as well as their physical safety.
Chris says, "Employers need to get with the programme. Otherwise, they're not going to attract people or keep them. And they can be held legally liable if they're found to be damaging their [employees'] health."
• www.globalworkplaceanalytics.com
• www.hrinz.org.nz
Workplace Bullying
New Zealand has the second highest rate of workplace bullying, according to a 1700-person academic survey, cited by Culture Safe New Zealand.
Director Allan Halsne said attitudes towards workplace bullying are similar to what attitudes were towards domestic violence 30 years ago.
Another survey polled more than 800 people nationwide to investigate effects of workplace bullying.
The New Zealand Herald reported earlier this year Waikato University's Dr Maree Roche and Auckland University's Dr Helena Cooper Thomas found the strain of being bullied trumped positive aspects of a job.
Local employers 48 Hours queried said they have policies to deal with harassment in the work place. Shine PR director Jacky James said, "Having been on the receiving end of workplace bullying in the past, this is a subject that I take extremely seriously.
'Harassment in employment is unlawful behaviour and we will not tolerate harassment of any kind in the workplace."
She said false accusations may result in the same form of disciplinary action as would apply to those guilty of harassment.
• www.culturesafenz.co.nz
www.bullying2016.com
