Ensuring that children eat well and have a healthy lifestyle is high on the agenda for the majority of nursery settings, but what about the staff? Do they receive equal support to maintain a good diet and stay fit?
As an employer you are obliged to create a safe and healthy workplace, but it is also important to focus on the actual health of your workforce. It’s well documented that poor staff health leads to increased absenteeism and lowered job performance. It’s also expensive, with sickness absence costing roughly £500 per employee per year, according to the Confederation of British Industry. ‘Healthy employees means a healthy organisation, lower staff sickness, higher staff engagement and active staff, which leads to better outcomes for the children,’ says June O’Sullivan, chief executive of London Early Years Foundation (LEYF). ‘You only have to look around early years awards and conferences to see that many nursery staff are bigger women, but this has to be tackled with sensitivity and employers have to tread a fine line.’
Jonathan Doherty, research lead for early years and primary education at Leeds Trinity University, highlights the importance of staff thinking of themselves as role models for the children in their care. ‘Values, attitudes and behaviours learned in early childhood have a long-lasting impact in later life,’ he says. ‘Children observe adults and do what they do, so this needs to be positive.’
But how far can nursery managers intervene in their employees’ lifestyles? Beate O’Neil, head of wellness consulting at Punter Southall Health & Protection, says that any form of wellness programme should be offered to all staff on a voluntary basis, not just those who are perceived to need assistance. ‘Employers should support employees with education and information on how they can make the best choices for themselves and their families,’ she says. ‘Employers can only make the information and sessions available, you can’t proactively intervene in someone’s choices. Taking a positive step towards changing behaviour is much easier if it is done voluntarily and in a supportive manner.’
Lala Manners, director of Active Matters, says, ‘Managers need to find a common ground so that everyone is starting on the same page. From my experience, the barrier for many early years professionals to getting healthier is fear of change. It’s also down to the perception of what being healthy and active is – it’s not about pink velour tracksuits and you haven’t got to get hot and sweaty or eat lettuce. These barriers will defeat people before they’ve started.’
Dr Manners proposes starting to create a healthy workforce by making small changes such as replacing biscuits in the staff room with fruit or nuts, and providing a water dispenser and asking staff not to consume fizzy drinks at work. Dr Doherty suggests that managers audit their setting to determine whether it is a healthy environment and nominate a staff member to take a lead on health and well-being.
A fitness strategy employed by staff at LEYF began with raising awareness of personal fitness, health and attitudes to food. ‘Women often have an unhealthy relationship with food and we don’t want to transfer that to the children,’ says Ms O’Sullivan. ‘We are looking at ways to help staff be better aware of the food they eat. Many of our younger staff have not learned how to cook or eat healthily. They are not highly paid and often resort to buying food which tends to be high in salt and sugar. Our chefs are showing staff how to cook and suggesting healthy meals that use seasonal, cheap ingredients.’
The chain has linked with Active Matters in order to encourage more physical activity, and many of the staff have attended its CACHE Level 3 Physical Development course. ‘Staff have learned a lot from it and made minor changes to their lifestyle, such as climbing stairs and going swimming,’ says Ms O’Sullivan.
Making exercise a group activity can also make it more enjoyable and offer more imaginative ways to lose weight. At Tiny Teddies, with settings in Coventry and Warwickshire, staff have previously held a three-month ‘Get Fit For Summer’ campaign, which included circus skills and skipping. Last year, five members of staff took part in the Coventry marathon, which involved weekly boot camp training at the nursery. Marketing manager Rachel Papadopoulos says, ‘A couple of the girls who hadn’t run before are still running regularly. They felt fitter as a result.’
Another setting, the Old School House Nursery near Cambridge, is undertaking a project with a company called Active Movement to make physical exercise a daily norm for both staff and children. Staff are being encouraged to become less sedentary without the need for expensive gym memberships or equipment. Managing director Linda Baston-Pitt says, ‘The challenge for us was to ensure that everyone was on board and to make it a purposeful and meaningful experience all round. While the management team recognised it as a fantastic opportunity, it was important that the staff team didn’t see it as yet another initiative bringing extra work.
‘What I hadn’t expected was the high level of enthusiasm from the whole team and a willingness to get involved – and, in some cases, step out of their comfort zones.’
Staff have undertaken pedometer challenges to increase the amount of walking they do – from walking upstairs instead of going to the nearest toilet to parking their cars further away from the nursery – and try to stand more instead of sit. There is now a standing desk in the staff room for IT use and staff hold ‘stand-up meetings’. Ms Baston-Pitt says the results of the initiative have ‘surpassed all expectations’, with staff being more aware of their fitness – to the extent that three employees have stopped smoking and another took part in a 10k run – as well as more energised and focused on tasks.
‘As a manager you can’t tell people what to do with their health and well-being but you can embed a culture where staff make changes for themselves,’ she says. ‘They feel more positive and authentic now when they talk to children and parents about health and well-being.’
HEALTHY STAFF SCHEMES
Many national employers, such as the NHS and Tesco, have healthy staff schemes, but it is also possible for small nursery settings to have initiatives. Here are some ideas:
Encourage staff to take their full lunch break and go for a walk or participate in exercise classes
Take part in charity challenges, such as Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life
Signpost staff to free fitness initiatives in your area – many local authorities organise health walks or provide outdoor gym equipment in parks
Negotiate discounted rates for staff at the local gym
Invite weight-loss providers to your setting, such as Slimming World or Weight Watchers
Use the skills of people you know – ask a parent to set up a fitness club or get your chef to give cooking demonstrations
Access free information on healthy eating and exercise from reputable online sources, such Change4Life: www.nhs.uk/change4life/Pages/change-for-life.aspx
Contact your local pharmacy or health centre to find out about smoking cessation and weight loss programmes that are free or low-cost
Run activities for the children that also get the staff moving, such as baby yoga or dance sessions.
CASE STUDY
Gillian Nelson, early years worker at Auchinloch Nursery and co-ordinator at Cedar After School Care in Lanarkshire, went from 16 stone to 9 stone and still attends Slimming World sessions.
She says, ‘Losing 6 ½ stone has made a huge difference to my life. The weight had slowly crept on but then I tore a ligament in my knee and had four months off work. When I returned I was no longer able to get on the floor to play with the children. It was awful.
‘A friend asked me to go to a Slimming World meeting with her. I knew I had to lose weight but I was reluctant because I was scared that they’d announce my weight to everyone. That didn’t happen and the meetings helped me to rethink what I eat. I have two children and work from 8am until 6pm so days are busy and I’d got into the habit of having quick microwave meals or going to the chippy. Now I prepare healthy meals the night before and the weight has gradually dropped off.
‘My colleagues were really supportive. Some of them are now also losing weight so we encourage each other. I feel I’m a role model to my children, who now understand healthy eating, and the parents have spoken to me about my weight loss.
‘My knee is now better and I no longer suffer from IBS, resulting in fewer sick days. I love being more active and engaging fully with the children at work.’
FURTHER INFORMATION
‘Workplace policy and management practice to improve the health and wellbeing of employees’ by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng13
‘Creating a healthy and engaged workforce. A guide for employers’ by Sheffield Hallam University, https://www.shu.ac.uk/business/sites/all/themes/shu_research/downloads/workplace-wellbeing.pdf
Active Matters, www.activematters.org
Active Movement, www.activemovement.co.uk