Our Purpose
About the National Workplace Wellness Policy
The Policy provides OVERALL STRATEGIC GUIDANCE to key stakeholders regarding the nature and urgency of wellness programming in the workplace.
DEFINE
"Wellness"
“… a conscious, deliberate process that requires a person to become aware of and make choices for a more satisfying lifestyle. Wellness is the process of creating and adapting patterns of behaviour that lead to improved health in the wellness dimensions and heightened life satisfaction. “
Core Values
Wellness is holistic and reflects a multidimensional outlook of the individual in the workplace. A wellness-focused lifestyle includes a balance of a range of constructive health habits, positive attitudes and emotions, productive behaviours and supportive relationships.
Taking care of one’s health and well-being occurs even before the onset of any illness or disease and continues in terms of treatment, for those who already have the onset of any illness or disease. However, prevention is better than cure. Education and incentives play a key role in creating deliberate, proactive individuals who are willing and able to take control of their lifestyles.
Individuals and institutions must work together to set wellness goals and pursue initiatives and actions that result in improved wellness and quality of life for the overall society and its various organs.
The Policy and its objectives are driven by scientific evidence and research emerging from various methodologies and techniques aimed at maintaining validity, reliability and rigour.
Notwithstanding its emphasis on being scientific and evidence-based, the Policy will not manifest as a purely academic document or initiative but will ensure that all objectives and resulting strategies and interventions are both realistic and relevant to the needs of all members of the Barbadian society.
The Policy will be built around a strict monitoring and evaluation framework that aims to provide information on established interventions and strategies to ascertain their effectiveness in reaching their objectives and targets.
Policy Goals
To promote and contribute extensively to the development of appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes that are supportive of and consistent with healthy living and lifestyles among workers and managers in workplaces.
To strategically and comprehensively guide, support, enable, monitor and evaluate organisational and individual actions and efforts aimed at supporting healthy workplaces and institutions, based on rigorous scientific research methodologies and evidence.
To facilitate and maintain strategic partnerships with various national stakeholders (Employers, Government, Trade Unions, Educational Institutions and other civil society and community-based organisations) to promote and sustain a high quality of health and wellness in the general working population.
To foster the necessary conditions for the development of healthy workplace environments, comprehensive and well guided organisational-level wellness policies, programmes and cultures.
To enhance national awareness and education on the immeasurable value of wellness as both an indicator and driver of individual, organisational and national productivity.