Stonegate Pub Company has been recognised for its focus on employee health and wellbeing in the REBA Employee Wellbeing Awards.

Organised by the Reward & Employee Benefits Association (REBA), the awards recognise employers that focus on improving staff wellbeing and the culture of their organisation.

Stonegate has made it through to the final in the ‘Best New Wellbeing Strategy’ category which recognises businesses that have successfully implemented the first phase of a wellbeing strategy within the last two years.

A progressive and expanding business, Stonegate launched a mental health training programme in partnership with the Licensed Trade Charity (LTC) last November. The training is designed to give team members the confidence to have conversations with team members that may require support and assistance with mental health issues. Over the next few months, 1,000+ general managers and line managers will take part in face-to-face workshop sessions designed to help them identify colleagues who may be struggling, in order they can guide them towards specialist help and support services.

This action supports the business growth that has seen its employee base increase by 13% since 2017, following the acquisition of a number of new pubs and bars. Recognising the importance of driving stability as it continues to grow, Stonegate has made employee welfare a key business priority.

The company’s strategic approach is to grow talent from within, enabling employees to be the best they can be through its award-winning, forward-looking, ‘Bar to Boardroom’ career development programme, Albert’s Theory of Progression (ATOP). This offers a complete career pathway to take team members to Area Manager and beyond, into operations or head office roles and ultimately to the boardroom, should they have the desire, drive and capability.

Over the past two years the company has had over 4,000 employees engaged with the programme and has developed over 300 employees from Deputy Manager to General Manager, enabling them to take on high turnover businesses, often from a young age.

Aside from equipping employees with the business and personal skills to manage, the programme provides support for mental, physical and financial wellbeing, enabling them to better cope with business and personal challenges, as well as sanctioning improved wellbeing. This has resulted in improved employee satisfaction scores, reduced employee turnover and a more engaged and satisfied workforce.

The partnership with the LTC offers a range of support and assistance for employees, in addition to the mental health awareness and general health support, they assist with areas of concern relating to housing, relationships, education and training.

HR Director for Stonegate, Tim Painter, said: “We are delighted that the REBA judges have recognised us for our commitment to the health and wellbeing of our employees. In the last few years our team has worked hard to introduce a number of new initiatives which offer support to staff. The mental health training programme is a significant investment for our business, but we firmly believe it is important to address this area as part of our employee wellbeing programme.  We also recently launched an innovative, self-managing, ‘I-choose’ app to offer greater flexibility around working hours and lifestyles.

“As well as our award-winning training, we have a fantastic recognition and reward programme which celebrates outstanding work at both a local and national level. We would be delighted to win this prestigious independent award and look forward to the final.”

REBA is the community group for employers which offer reward and benefits to their staff as part of a wider HR strategy to engage talent and drive success.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony taking place on 5th March following an afternoon of peer-to-peer workshops.