Trayport Limited | Success Story | Employee Wellbeing

The challenge

Before launching its new wellbeing strategy in 2018, Trayport was faced with a number of challenges, including high sickness levels, stress-related situations, general stigma about mental health among staff and low usage of its free Employee Assistance Program, whereby staff could access professional help over the phone. Trayport believed that this service was not being used due to its predominantly male workforce and the generally increased stigma which men often face regarding mental health.

The new wellbeing strategy was set up with the aim of decreasing the volume of sick leave requests, increasing overall wellness among staff, raising awareness about mental health and attracting and retaining talent by providing a comprehensive and innovative wellness program. Named the “Reboot + Recharge” program, it comprised three pillars: Mental and emotional wellbeing, mindfulness and relaxation and exercise and nutrition.

The approach

Trayport decided to launch a pilot of the “Reboot + Recharge” program in 2018 that would be thoroughly assessed before potentially becoming part of its wellbeing strategy. The program lasted a month and fell within the UK’s Mental Health Awareness Week. It consisted of nine different lunchtime talks by guest speakers, covering a range of topics that aligned with the program’s three pillars.

The 2018 program was initially meant to be a one-off; however, based on feedback from staff and overall engagement, Trayport decided to re-run and build upon the program for 2019. The goal was to have a comprehensive, fully accessible program, even for remote staff. The team found speakers with impressive credentials and real-life experiences to present, while they also trialled a weekly yoga class in the office based on previous positive feedback. Working with Reward Gateway, Trayport also launched the Wellbeing Centre, an online portal available to all employees globally. This provided all staff, including remote workers, with access to articles, videos and resources to help support their wellness.

The take-up and engagement of this six-week trial was extremely encouraging, with a good mix of male and female staff taking part. Based on this success, the team got senior management to agree to introduce weekly lunchtime yoga classes as a permanent feature from January 2019.

The results

The “Reboot + Recharge” program had an immediate positive impact on the main challenges Trayport faced. Sickness absence fell by 26% in 2018 compared to 2017, following the introduction of the program.

While Trayport’s Employee Assistance Program did not receive any hits or phone calls in 2018, so far in 2019 the service has had 158 portal hits, two phone calls, and one counselling case. The team believe this is due to the increased awareness of mental health through constant messaging around the office. This alone shows how effective the program has been in raising awareness and breaking down stigma.

In addition, usage of the program increased by 49% in 2019 compared to 2018, showing a clear change in attitude within the office towards looking after one’s mental wellbeing. The team received positive feedback for the program in 2019, with an average score of 4.5 out of 5 for each activity.

The “Reboot + Recharge” program is now firmly part of Trayport’s culture, along with the ongoing, open support provided throughout the year to staff, including remote workers. Ongoing evaluation will be critical to the continued success of the program in years to come.

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Technology firm raises awareness for mental health in the workplace through launch of new wellbeing strategy, leading to a 26% decrease in sickness absences

Summary

The challenge

The approach

The results

26%

49%

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