NATS wins award for health and wellbeing initiative

UK air traffic services provider NATS has won a prestigious Human Resources award for a programme raising awareness of healthy lifestyle choices and supporting employees.

NATS scooped the award for ‘Best Health & Wellbeing Initiative’ in the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) People Management Awards – which is considered one of the most highly respected awards in the Human Resources profession across the UK.

Initiatives have been taking place across NATS sites to boost the health and wellbeing of employees. The programme delivered over the past couple of years at NATS’ air traffic control centre in Prestwick was used as an example for the award entry to show how NATS is working with its staff to respond to the prevailing Scottish health and lifestyle statistics.

Examples of initiatives include the Cycle to Work scheme, the annual Prestwick Wellness event and the Health and Wellbeing newsletter for employees, which covers topics such as healthy-eating, stopping smoking, drugs and alcohol, and mental health issues.

The newly-opened Prestwick Aeromedical Centre, which provides full occupational health and aeromedical services for Prestwick-based employees, was also included in the award entry.

The programme saw sickness levels reduce, the number of people cycling to work double and employees were above the national average for sustaining their energy levels throughout the day.

Gerry Skelton, Human Resources Director at NATS, said: “Health and wellbeing is an important area of focus for us in supporting our employees across the whole of the business. We’re delighted to be recognised for the programme of work at our centre in Prestwick, which was achieved through the hard work and dedication of all involved.

“We were up against some strong competition, so it is a great achievement that our work is gaining prestigious recognition and is industry leading.”

Alastair Muir, Operations Director Prestwick, added: “We’re proud that our achievements have been recognised by the CIPD. This award goes to everyone who got involved and has been made even more special through the fantastic amount raised for our sponsored charity the Ayrshire Hospice.”