Employee Wellbeing Matters at Northern Trust

Earlier this year we were awarded the ‘Keepwell Mark’ by IBEC and also received further recognition by placing in the index of the top 100 companies in Ireland in wellbeing. These are significant acknowledgements of our continued efforts to create a lasting impact on all of our employees and on the wider business community.

The exclusive Keepwell award endorses our commitment to workplace wellbeing across a broad spectrum of topics – from mental health and physical activity, to nutrition and absence management – and is fast becoming the business standard for health, safety and wellbeing in Ireland.

The Keepwell process was a collaborative effort with various groups within Northern Trust, all with the stated aim of understanding best practice in wellbeing and seeking to improve our overall employee offering.

Now that our employees are back working in our Dublin and Limerick offices on a hybrid model, we wanted to start to bring back in-person wellbeing events. With this we created our very first ‘Wellbeing Day’ which was based around the theme of ‘Look After Yourself’.

One of our aims was to create events that employees would look forward to, engage with and help create a ‘buzz’ around our offices.

Our benefits team and our workplace services team worked closely with our Health Insurance partners in Ireland (VHI) on the organised events and activities.

Our plan was to focus on a couple of core areas;

1. Resilience/Mental Health
2. Fitness/Nutrition
3. Laughter/Relaxation

“Looking after our Employees is always a top priority for us. Having a specific Wellbeing Day focuses our thoughts on development of the body and mind. Attending talks on Motivational Speaking and Nutrition reminds us to look after ourselves on a daily basis, whilst enjoying comedy, massages and ice-creams lets us highlight the ‘Fun’ in ‘Fund Administration’”.

Catherine Duffy General Manager, Northern Trust Limerick

Enda O'Doherty | Motivational Speaker & Endurance Athlete

The day kicked off with a great talk, by Endurance athlete and motivational speaker, Enda O'Doherty who spoke about overcoming adversity, stress busting and cultivating a growth mindset. His story was inspiring and there were so many key take aways from resilience, how small steps matter, to always remember to look after yourself.

Part of Enda’s story was that he completed some of the world's toughest challenges such as two Ironman Triathlons - as well as carrying a washing machine(!) through 9 marathons (in 8 days) and to the summit of mount Kilimanjaro.

Free 15 Minute Chair Massages

The day continued with over 100 employees availing of a 15 minute neck and shoulder massage to relieve any tension they had.

Gym showcase

We held showcases of our on-site gym in Limerick throughout the day which included a run through and overview of the gym, changing facilities and all the equipment available for employees to use.

Smoothie Bike

One of the most eye-catching events organised on the day was the smoothie bike station where employees had to peddle hard to make their smoothie! Our employees competitive streak came out on the smoothie bike to see who could top the leader board to make a delicious smoothie in the quickest time possible.

After working up a sweat employees were treated to an ice cream van coming on site serving ice creams in the glorious sun shine. The heatwave was timed to perfection by all involved!

Vhi’s nutritionist Dylan O’Leary then provided a great talk on healthy eating including many great tips and tricks to improve our outlook and the way we approach all things nutrition and the vital role that it plays in our overall wellbeing.

Karl Spain

In the afternoon we were reminded by Karl Spain, local Limerick comedian, writer and actor that laughter is great for your wellbeing. Karl provided a belly full of laughs to a packed room with everyone ending the wellbeing day with a smile on their face.

Across our Dublin and Limerick offices we had:

• Healthy Recipes shown on TV screens throughout the day.
• Fruit baskets were arranged and dropped off to provide a healthy snack for our employees.

The day was a great success with packed events and a great atmosphere around our offices with employee’s already asking about 2024’s Wellbeing day.

To learn more about our People and our Culture go here .

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