Hafnarfjörður becomes a healthy workplace

The journey begins with an evening, wellness-promoting offers and silent walks. 

Over the next two years, Hafnarfjörður municipality plans to place even greater emphasis on the health and well-being of its staff and is therefore launching The Healthy Workplace project by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer. The journey began with a meaningful and inspiring evening at Bæjarbíó last week, where actor Björgvin Franz Gíslason and priest Jóna Hrönn Bolladóttir took to the stage, among others, with a devotional, reflection and encouragement. Businesses at St. Jó's Wellbeing Centre introduced their services and health-promoting offers to staff, including meditation, counselling, talk therapy and Yoga. In collaboration with The company Saga Story House The City of Hafnarfjörður is offering its staff three guided stillness walks in May in the Hafnarfjörður uplands, where they will walk through water, mud and forest.

^{Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, the mayor, welcomed the staff to the evening. The evening was led by Íris Eiríksdóttir, owner of the Yoga House at the St Jó Wellbeing Centre.}  

^{The energetic and lively actor Björgvin Franz Gíslason gave a talk entitled 'Pushing Myself Away'. In it, he spoke candidly about how he has explored previously unknown paths to find inner peace in his otherwise very busy mind, using yoga and meditation.  Björgvin Franz led the staff through the Five, his favourite meditation exercise, and finally sang a song with Ragga Bjarna.}

Successful implementation has a significant impact on everyone.

„Hafnarfjörður has been a healthy community since 2015 and now we want to take the next step and become a healthy workplace. Invest even better in our people. Many of the council's workplaces already place a strong emphasis on staff wellbeing and are doing very good things. Staff turnover at these sites is generally lower, and satisfaction and well-being are generally higher. We want everyone to feel good at work and intend to do our part to promote and create the best possible working environment across all our sites. The staff themselves also play a big part in this, and it is a shared responsibility for everyone. It's also about the decision of each individual and the right mindset.“ says Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, Mayor of Hafnarfjörður. „The first step is to try and create a sort of reset now in May, after a different and busy time during the pandemic, so that our people can better enjoy the company of family and friends. Well-being, positivity and happiness has a knock-on effect on all our people. “

^{The Reverend Jónu Hrönn Bolladóttir attended the evening service with a sermon and reflections on the impact of the pandemic on people's basic needs: well-being, relationships and purpose. A reflection designed to make staff pause for a moment, reflect and connect.  Here is Jóna Hrönn with Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir at Bæjarbíó, where the evening was held.} 

A healthy workplace is a tool that enables workplaces to systematically create an environment and conditions that promote health and well-being, prevent burnout and reduce staff turnover. If the implementation is successful, everyone benefits. Improved health, increased well-being and job satisfaction, fewer accidents and illnesses, increased capacity, greater productivity, fewer absences and sick days, and increased creativity and innovation, to name but a few. Health promotion in the workplace is a good investment in human capital.

Health promotion will become a natural part of the town's policy.

Hafnarfjörður is the third largest municipality in the country with just over 30,000 residents and around 2,500 employees who carry out a wide variety of jobs at around 70 locations throughout the town. Several nurseries and primary schools in Hafnarfjörður have already become health-promoting and Health promotion has become part of the council's new overarching strategy for 2035.. A project manager has been appointed to lead the project's implementation and work in close collaboration with staff at all 70 sites. The health promotion will cover areas including physical activity and the outdoors, diet, the environment, and management practices. The diversity of the council's workplaces requires a specific analysis of opportunities and actions to enhance the workforce at each location. The project is expected to get underway in full swing at the end of August.