Sheffield based IT services business Highlander Computing Solutions strives to create a healthy working environment for its staff.

They have found that a healthier workplace can bring great rewards to their business, including higher staff retention, increased productivity and significant financial savings. 

To build upon their existing health and wellbeing principles, Highlander has joined academics at the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC) and the team from Integral Leadership, to develop a programme that places health and wellbeing at the heart of the organisational leadership.

Highlander is a traditional office-based IT company with around 70 employees. Over the last 25 years it has established itself as a leading IT services provider in Sheffield. The company is dedicated to treating employees with care and compassion, creating a supportive, family focused environment for their workforce.

Managing director Steve Brown has a passion for health and wellbeing and has encouraged healthy habits in the Highlander office over the years. In 2009 he wanted to encourage his members of staff to become more mindful of their health, so he arranged for a health check for the workforce. This included a variety of tests including BMI, cholesterol, blood pressure, heart rate and posture checks. Employees were also offered diet and exercise advice. 

This led to an increase in health-focused activities and benefits for all staff across the company. These included on-site Pilates classes, team football games, mental health support, private health insurance, free flu jabs and fruit. Staff were also encouraged to take volunteer days and to take part in charity events.

Work-life-balance was also addressed. Staff members are now offered more flexible working hours, homeworking, an extended Christmas break and longer lunches so they can leave the office and exercise.

The positive impact on the business of these new health and wellbeing features has gone far beyond increased physical and mental wellbeing for staff. Working relationships have improved, the number of sick days taken by staff has reduced and productivity has increased. Staff retention is at an all-time high resulting in significant financial savings due to reduced recruitment costs.

The company is also seeing an environmental benefit to flexible working arrangements through reduced travel to work, less congestion due to staggered start and finish times and encouraging active travel.

These features have been offered to staff as part of a culture of health and wellbeing that has been led by Steve. Developing leaders across the organisation who value health and wellbeing will further embed its importance across the business leading to advocates across the IT sector and beyond. Highlander sees the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to review how it runs its business, to find ways of working that prioritise health and wellbeing in its workforce and to develop leaders that share these values.

By taking part in the forthcoming Leading through Health and Wellbeing programme at the AWRC, staff at Highlander will be equipped with the skills and tools to lead through a set of principles that are underpinned by health and wellbeing. Those that attend the course will also have the opportunity to undertake a personal health and wellbeing journey with support from AWRC staff.

The Leading through Health and Wellbeing programme that will create a group of advocates that are not only superb leaders but also understand the value that health and wellbeing can bring to organisational change, to the benefit of all members of staff at an organisation.

This will lead to happier and healthier teams and organisations in a world recovering from the effects of Covid-19.