Wintec earns gold standard accreditation for workplace wellbeing

Thursday, 01 July 2021

Wellbeing expos, events and surveys by WorkWell were part of the three-year accreditation journey at Wintec.

Wintec is the first workplace in the Waikato to be awarded Gold Standard WorkWell Accreditation, having demonstrated all the successful components of a sustained health and wellbeing programme.

The award is the result of a three-year journey with Workwell. Wintec partnered with the WorkWell wellbeing programme in 2017, launching the partnership with a series of wellbeing expos and delivering on agreed wellbeing goals. Wintec was assessed by WorkWell through staff feedback, evidence and site visits.

Confirming the award, WorkWell Assessor Suha Wahab congratulated Wintec on being “the first Waikato workplace to achieve Gold Standard WorkWell Accreditation”.

“Wintec is definitely functioning the way we would hope to see a Gold Standard workplace support staff wellbeing at this level.”

Wintec Chief Executive, David Christiansen says a key area of focus has been regular communication with staff throughout the wellbeing journey which has been driven by Wintec’s People and Culture team. It’s also a top priority for the Wintec Board.

“As a place where people work and learn, we have a big responsibility to embed and sustain a safe, healthy and positive workplace, and this accreditation acknowledges that our staff and their wellness is valued here at Wintec,” Christiansen says.

“Working towards better wellbeing and acknowledging diversity and inclusion is ongoing mahi. It’s a two-way process and a work in progress, and while, yes I am thrilled we achieved this milestone, it’s important we continue on this journey, and listening and actively responding to staff is a big part of that.”

Christiansen also acknowledges the challenges of last year where Wintec teaching and learning went online, often in challenging situations because of Covid-19 alert level changes.

“It was a particularly tough year for everyone in so many ways, so earning this accreditation says a lot about our Wintec whānau, the commitment we have to wellness and their safety, and the responsibilities that go beyond our campuses to support wellbeing.”

Wintec Health, Safety and Wellbeing Director, Katria Raffan says that now Wintec has reached Workwell Gold status, the partnership will continue for the next two years before the next assessment in 2023.

“This isn’t a case of “We won gold, let’s put it on the wall”. To maintain our Gold status , Workwell require us to continue to make improvements, show evidence and improve our results. We have been provided great recommendations for continuous improvement from the WorkWell panel and we’re also keen to hear new ideas and initiatives from our staff and students.”

Wintec Board Chair, Niwa Nuri says, “the Wintec Board is extremely proud of this latest wellness accreditation”.

“We have fully supported the journey that Wintec staff have taken to achieve this. Improving and maintaining good standards of wellbeing for our staff has been a strategic priority for us at a governance level, and it is great to see these efforts independently and externally recognised. We look forward to working with the team on our journey of continuous improvement.”

WorkWell Gold accreditation is the latest in Wintec’s string of accolades for excellence.

In 2020 Wintec became the first education provider in New Zealand to receive the GenderTick, showing a commitment to gender equality in the workplace.

Wintec received the Innovation Award at the YWCA Equal Pay Awards in 2019, recognising the Wintec Industry Sharing Experience (WISE) programme which allows staff and students to form valuable partnerships with employers through industry secondments and teaching partnerships.

Katrina Van de Ven, Wintec’s Executive Director People and Culture, was honoured as the 2019 New Zealand HR Manager of the Year by the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand (HRINZ).

In 2018 Wintec’s commitment to creating equal pay opportunities was acknowledged with a Best Practice Compact award at the YWCA Equal Pay Awards.

Some other organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand to be awarded Gold Accreditation by Workwell are: Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Fulton Hogan – Bay of Plenty, Korowai Aroha, Metlifecare Bayswater, Pederson Group, Rotorua Lakes Council and Toi Te Ora Public Health.