Employee wellbeing: ‘For our business to thrive, our people need to thrive’

Employee wellbeing can mean a little or a lot, but for Irish Distillers, it’s about taking their employee’s health and safety to the next level.

“The health and safety of everyone who works at Irish Distillers is our number one priority,” says head of culture and capability Tamsin Trevarthen. She says that as a result, the wellbeing of their employees is embedded in the company’s ethos. “We believe that employee wellbeing is very much part of this approach. Our people are the key to our success, so for our business to thrive, our people need to thrive and know they are supported.”

Covid-19 functioned as a reset button for many companies and Irish Distillers was no different in that respect. Trevarthen says the pandemic has provided an unprecedented opportunity to reimagine how, when and where their employees work.

“In consultation with our employees, we are evolving our workplace practices, policies and even physical working environments across all sites so that we are well placed to adopt and benefit from a smarter, more flexible approach to work.”

Financial wellbeing

This commitment has manifested itself in a number of novel programmes they have introduced for their employees in recent years. For example, their employee wellbeing programme called Thrive aims to provide the resources required to thrive in “life, body and mind”, as Trevarthen explains.

The programme allows colleagues to access a wide array of information, advice and resources on topics related to physical and mental health and other areas of life, such as financial wellbeing, while a dedicated Thrive portal, located on the company’s intranet, allows employees to dip into engaging and practical content such as pre-recorded yoga classes or expert talks on how to apply for a mortgage. “This is a fantastic resource for employees,” she says.

In a bid to support women before and after their maternity leave, Irish Distillers also introduced the novel Re:connect programme in September 2019; the programme offers a phased return to work and coaching before and after their baby arrives. Now their partners can avail of similar supports as the programme was extended to all new parents in November 2020, Trevarthen explains.

The company has an extensive “Employee Assistance Programme”, which provides employees and their families with access to confidential counselling 24/7, 365 days a year; “we recognise that at times, some of our colleagues may require professional support from experts”, Trevarthen notes.