FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Absolutely. Each award has tailored criteria for small companies (0-50 employees), medium or large companies.

There are actually many direct and indirect benefits by having healthy, active staff. See our benefits page.

There is no set time period in which you need to complete your application, so you can do it at your own pace.

We would encourage employers to invest time in completing the application, rather than inviting a third party to do so on their behalf. They will know their organisation better than anyone else and will be best placed to make the application.

The awards are very flexible, so you can apply for just one level on each or all of the standards, and then perhaps work towards some of the other levels at your own pace if you decide you’d like to.

The certificates are awarded for a period of 24 months. The Healthy Workplace Standards Team will stay in contact with you periodically over that time and support you to reapply for the same level or a higher award.

The standards progress from Bronze/Level 1 through Silver/Level 2 and on to Gold/Level 3. We would ask that you first apply for Bronze level and can then progress to Silver and then to Gold, once each level has been achieved.

Yes! The organisation does not need to be profit making to apply. The Standards are a great way to improve your policies and practice to support the health and wellbeing of your paid staff as well as your volunteers.

The Healthy Workplace Standards scheme is free to any business based in Milton Keynes, Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire, Suffolk or Hertfordshire. So long as you have a base in one of those areas, you can still apply for the Standards, even if your organisation extends beyond them.

The Healthy Workplace Standards have been developed with workplaces in mind, and you’ll probably find that you are already doing a lot of the things necessary, so evidencing these shouldn’t be too onerous. Feel free to give us a call though, if you’re still unsure, and we can give you some advice or put you in touch with other businesses that have been through the process.

Once you have registered someone from the Healthy Workplace Standards team will contact you to have an initial chat about the Standards and your workplace priorities. Thereafter, there is a simple three-stage process: the first is your written evidence, which you can submit through this website. The second is a meeting with the Healthy Workplace Standards Team or a visit to your workplace to meet you and discuss key elements of your evidence – this is informal and is an opportunity to showcase what you do well. Finally, you will receive a written report with the outcome of your assessment, letting you know what you do well and areas for improvement.

You will need senior level buy in to achieve the standards. We also recommend you have a named person within the workplace to lead this, and if necessary, a team to support them. You will need to undertake an employee survey or health needs assessment to identify your health and wellbeing priorities. The Healthy Workplace Standards Team will be able to give you advice on how to do this.

Once you have achieved the standards you will be awarded a certificate for each standard, at Bronze, Silver or Gold level. If you achieve all eight Standards, you will be awarded Healthy Workplace Status and will receive a certificate.