Creating and implementing a systemic, end-to-end, programme across a large corporate (13,000 people)
I led the creation of Health EY, (EY’s internal Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing Programme) from initial concept to firm-wide implementation across the UK&I business (13,000 employees). Using my role as Chair of the employee-led Mental Health Network, I independently wrote EY’s Health and Mental Health strategy, acquired senior Sponsorship and championing of it, and was then seconded down to HR - specifically Employee Relations (ER) - to implement it.
The intention of Health EY was to change EY’s culture around Health and Mental Health. We implemented an end-to-end programme which covered health promotion, prevention and education (Thrive), support for employees who were slightly ill, and care pathways to look after and ensure we had the right providers for people who were very unwell (Nurture). We used imagery of trees across the programme to give it a unique look within the organisation and our choice of natural language reinforced our strap-line ‘The Nature of Being Human’. Trees within forests were a metaphor for individuals within a big corporation.
”I was able to represent the reality of EY people ‘on the shop floor’ and work with ER to change organisational policies, systems and processes around Health EY.”
Working within ER enabled a successful multi-disciplinary approach to health and mental health. I was able to represent the reality of EY people ‘on the shop floor’ and work with ER to change organisational policies, systems and processes around Health EY. This ensured that it was implemented as ‘the way things happen at EY’, not a standalone Wellbeing strategy that was doomed to fail. We worked with a large variety of stakeholders (Benefits & Reward, Learning & Development , Diversity & Inclusiveness, Communications, Health & Safety, Senior Leaders, Forum reps) to embed Health EY as ‘business as usual’ across the firm. This embedded its success for the future.
Ensuring we had the correct health providers in place was a key part of our strategy. We performed an audit of existing providers making sure that they were clinically sound and set up the right way. We developed a plan for re-procuring, over time, providers that would fulfil the clinical needs of our population, fill the gaps in our care pathways and deliver our Health EY strategy. We used data and metrics (as well as our internal KPIs) from our providers to design our health promotion programme, look at use and need, and measure the effectiveness of our work.
“Even more excitingly our health assessment data was showing an improvement in all health measures, across a worsening peer and industry backdrop."
When I left Health EY we could already see it’s impact. Use of all health providers was up (especially in mental health), there were 100s dialling into each Thrive webinar. Absence was reduced, and we had trained over 500 in Mental Health First Aiders (for culture change). Even more excitingly our health assessment data was showing an improvement in all health measures, across a worsening peer and industry backdrop. Health EY was improving the health and mental health of the business.
