Businesses across Gloucestershire are backing a campaign to create happier, healthier and ultimately more productive workforces.

Accountants, engineering firms and others are among the 34 organisations who have received the Workplace Wellbeing Charter Award in recognition of their efforts to support their staff.

NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group is behind the campaign in partnership with Gloucestershire County Council, the Local Enterprise Partnership and Active Gloucestershire to help organisations work towards achieving a healthy workplace culture.

To gain accreditation, staff were interviewed and an audit against eight standards, including leadership, absence management, health and safety, mental health, smoking, physical activity, healthy eating and alcohol, was carried out.

Accountants Randall & Payne of Cheltenham were one of those businesses who took part in the scheme and managing director Tim Watkins (pictured) said: "Since introducing the wellbeing programme we have seen some big improvements around staff engagement and they have really taken it on board and played their part in it. It has helped reduce absenteeism and increase productivity.

We've seen more activity at work through playing table tennis or swing ball in the lunch hour, or after work via football matches and an exercise club which got started. We have fruit bowls around the building and we regularly see people helping themselves instead of perhaps a chocolate bar.

"It is very much something we want to build on and continue into the future."

Mary Hutton, Gloucestershire Integrated Care Systems (ICS) Lead, said: "Given that we spend approximately 60 per cent of our waking hours at work, it's important that organisations do what they can to provide healthy workplace cultures that support the wellbeing of their staff.

The NHS, like many organisations, has levels of health-related staff sickness, and we know that by 2030, about 40 per cent of workers will be living with a long term condition, such as diabetes or a heart problem.

"Evidence shows that workplace health initiatives can deliver a wide range of benefits to both employers and staff, such as reduced absenteeism and more open and communicative organisational cultures."

Cllr Tim Harman, cabinet member for public health and communities at Gloucestershire County Council, said: "Work plays a big part in people's health and wellbeing so it's inspiring to hear that local employers are supporting their workforces to make positive lifestyles changes. These changes don't only improve the wellbeing and quality of life of individuals but also benefit local businesses and the wider Gloucestershire economy."