December Shining Star: Northumbrian Water

Northumbrian Water have been a part of the Better Health at Work Award for many years, and have now claimed Ambassador status for their commitment to employee wellbeing. Read all about their journey on the award so far.

Why did you decide to sign up to the BHAWA?

Northumbrian Water employs over 3,800 people across our three operating regions: Northern England, Essex and Suffolk. As a responsible and ethical organisation, we understand the importance of supporting the wellbeing of our employees.

Our ambition to become the national leader in sustainable water and wastewater services can only be achieved if our people are able to perform at their best every day. That performance is driven by how supported they feel - physically, mentally and emotionally. That's why employee wellbeing remains one of our highest priorities.

The Better Health at Work Award provides a valuable framework for implementing wellbeing initiatives that reflect the diverse needs of our workforce.

How do you find that the award benefits the organisation, and its employees?

As an employer, being part of the award has helped us to ensure our approach to health and wellbeing is based on employee needs.

Our 'health needs' survey allows colleagues to tell us about what matters to them most regarding health and wellbeing, and what areas they need support in. We can then use this information to plan our campaigns throughout the year, making sure our approach to health and wellbeing is relevant and consistent.

Through our involvement with the BHAWA, we've gained a deeper understanding of the challenges people may face in our region, as well as the networks, groups, and organisations working to address them. This has opened-up access to valuable resources and contacts that enhance our health and wellbeing offering, connections we might not have discovered otherwise.

As a result of the health and wellbeing support we offer, Northumbrian Water was recognised as one of the best places to work for wellbeing in the 2025 Super-Large Employer category by Great Place to Work UK. Achievements like this not only reflect how our colleagues perceive the health and wellbeing culture at NWL but also play a key role in attracting and retaining high-calibre talent.

The campaigns we run throughout the year as part of the BHAWA create meaningful opportunities for our people to improve various aspects of their health and wellbeing. They also help raise awareness of the support and resources available at Northumbrian Water. Our workforce is incredibly diverse, spanning different genders, ages and abilities, and including both office-based and field colleagues. Engaging our field-based teams can be particularly challenging due to the nature of their roles, so these campaigns play a vital role in reaching and supporting them.

Being part of the BHAWA has prompted us to take a more intentional and inclusive approach to how we communicate health and wellbeing resources across Northumbrian Water. We've actively adapted our methods and styles to ensure that all employees, regardless of role, location, or personal circumstances are not only aware of the support available but also feel empowered to access it. This includes tailoring messaging for field-based colleagues, using varied formats and channels, and ensuring accessibility for those with different needs.

What kind of activities have you organised in line with the award so far?

As part of our BHAWA campaigns, we have delivered a wide range of activities and communications with some great feedback from employees. Some of the key highlights include:

• A webinar ran by Andy's Man Club to highlight the importance of male mental health, what Andy's Man Club do and how they (and we) can support men who need it.

• A series of pension webinars to support with financial health as well as multiple full day face-to-face 'planning for retirement' sessions. This is in addition to financial webinars for early careers, mid-career and pre-retirement depending upon where employees are in their career.

• Blood pressure checks for employees, with relevant signposting should there be any issues or concerns with results.

• Several company intranet articles and campaigns around health and wellbeing issues, such as Nutrition and Hydration, Men's Health, World Suicide Prevention Day, among many others. The articles highlight the importance of such issues and what help is available to employees both internally and externally.

• Face to face menopause awareness sessions for people who will experience the menopause either directly or indirectly.

• People Team attendance at team and department meetings with field-based staff to increase awareness of all of the health and wellbeing support available to them as colleagues.

• We also facilitated a Pilates and mindfulness session at an employee team day. This was designed to support the physical wellbeing and mental clarity of those in attendance, both during the session and to give them tools for the long-term. Feedback on the day indicated the session was both grounding and restorative, with some participants admitting they had never thought to try some of these exercises but would be going forward.