Over the last two years London Luton Airport has been encouraging employees to get ‘Fit for Business’ as one of the participants on the Big Lottery Funded ‘Wellbeing in The East’ Fit for Business Portfolio.
The airport signed up to the ‘Fit For Business’ (FFB) national recognition programme for workplace health and wellbeing, working to support employee health and wellbeing across 5 key remits: Physical Activity, Healthy Eating options, Mental Health & Wellbeing promotion, Smoking Cessation Information and Drugs and Alcohol Awareness.

The airport recently achieved re-accreditation for the ‘Fit for Business Recognition’ and has officially been branded a Fit for Business certified workplace.

FFB and LLA have worked together to nominate a team of ‘Workplace Champions’. It is the responsibility of the ‘Champions’ to lead and deliver the FFB programme within the workplace.  FFB then works with these Champions to offer tailored one-to-one support, training days, a dedicated support helpline and offers an online toolkit of resources at the Champions’ disposal.
Armed with the support of the FFB team, Champions have been able to instigate a whole host of employee interventions to improve staff wellbeing and lifestyle choices at work.

Highlights of the project which has successfully taken LLA to ‘Fit For Business Recognition’ are;
• A road-show style event attended by over 120 members of staff which offered a range of activites including, access to advice on managing debt, free massages, blood pressure testing, free fruit smoothies and advice on stopping smoking.

• Free Pilates classes for staff at lunchtime, which helped staff with general fitness and relaxation

• Healthy Eating events and other activities to encourage staff to maintain a healthy balanced diet despite varying shift patterns, including providing Airport employees with FREE fruit in June

Sian Pearce, Community Relations Executive commented ‘Staff have embraced the programme and have been keen to take on board advice on changing their lifestyle, eating more healthily, taking more exercise and trying new activities. This has had great long term benefits for individuals and the Airport as a whole’