AG Wins Prestigious Award for Employee Wellbeing Excellence

AG is delighted to announce its success at the 2024 Business in the Community NI Responsible Business Awards, where we proudly received the Wellbeing at Work Award. This esteemed accolade recognises our ongoing commitment to fostering a healthy, supportive, and inclusive workplace through our pioneering Activ8 Health + Wellbeing Programme.

With a record number of entries this year, including notable contenders such as Bank of Ireland and SSE Airtricity, the recognition is particularly significant, showcasing AG’s leadership in employee wellbeing. We were also honoured to be shortlisted for the Impact in Your Community Award, further underscoring our dedication to creating a positive social impact.

In acknowledging AG’s exceptional approach to employee wellbeing, the independent panel of judges highlighted our achievements, noting,

“AG Paving & Building Products engage, empower, and educate their people in a way that exemplifies the future of wellbeing. We were particularly impressed by the company’s clear vision and holistic approach. AG is inspired by its peers, and the use of personal stories and experiences encourages others to speak up and seek support.”

Activ8 – Empowering Our People, Driving Success

At the heart of AG’s success is our Activ8 Health + Wellbeing Programme, launched in 2018 in collaboration with the Public Health Agency. Activ8 is designed to enhance physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing among our employees, while also reflecting AG’s core values of wellbeing, integrity, sustainability, customer care, and innovation. The key objectives of Activ8 include:

• Improving the overall health and wellbeing of our workforce.
• Empowering staff to make positive lifestyle changes inside and outside of work.
• Promoting the family value of #GoHomeSafe, ensuring safety and wellbeing are prioritised both on and off-site.
• Providing a comprehensive range of employee benefits, from mental health support to physical wellness, helping staff reach their full potential.

These initiatives are integral to our Integrated Management System (IMS) and form a key component of our Corporate Responsibility Strategy (CSR), particularly within the People pillar. Building on our Rock Solid Values workshops and ongoing collaboration with &Evolve, AG is committed to fostering leadership that supports a culture of care and wellbeing.

In 2024, we completed a comprehensive leadership development programme, where managers across the company participated in tailored training sessions led by &Evolve, experts in employee engagement and organisational culture. This training has equipped our leaders with the tools to promote a supportive, values-driven environment, ensuring that wellbeing is prioritised at every level of the organisation. By empowering our leaders to lead by example, we have embedded our commitment to employee wellbeing and growth into the very fabric of AG.

A Year of Impactful Initiatives and Benefits

In 2023, we continued to expand the Activ8 programme, building on the foundation of employee wellbeing with enhanced benefits and upgraded welfare provisions. Some of the key offerings within the programme include:

• Mental health first aid training and a confidential employee assistance programme available to all staff.
• A Health Cash Plan, allowing employees to claim back costs on routine health appointments such as optician visits, physiotherapy, and alternative therapies.
• Annual occupational health assessments, including added checks like glucose and cholesterol levels to further support our employees’ health.
• Significant welfare improvements across our sites, such as upgraded kitchens, clean filtered water stations, new outdoor picnic areas, and additional shower facilities.
• Increased focus on women’s health, partnering with Women in Business and holding dedicated health sessions for International Women’s Day.

The improvements also supported our Take 5 accreditation journey, in which we achieved the highest accreditation, Level 3, recognising our proactive approach to health, wellbeing, and social impact. Through Activ8, we foster an environment that encourages learning and continuous development, with initiatives like our Go Home Safe campaign, where production pauses company-wide to focus on safety and wellbeing.

Measurable Success and Industry Leadership

The success of the Activ8 programme has not only enriched the wellbeing of our employees but has also delivered tangible business benefits. Some of the measurable outcomes include:

• A 75% reduction in workplace accident frequency, well below the industry average, thanks to our proactive safety culture.
• A £20,000 insurance rebate in 2024, resulting from our improved safety performance.
• Enhanced employee morale, as evidenced by high satisfaction levels in our annual employee survey and our Outstanding Workplace Award 2022.
• A significant rise in female retention, with women now making up 22% of our workforce, far above the industry average of 13%.

Our long-term commitment to employee wellbeing continues to shape our business and community impact, and our Activ8 Wellbeing Programme will keep evolving to meet the needs of our employees.

Stephen Acheson, CEO of AG, commented on the award:

“We are incredibly proud to have won the Wellbeing at Work Award at this year’s Responsible Business Awards. This achievement is a testament to the dedication and commitment of everyone at AG to foster a supportive and healthy working environment. Our people are our greatest asset, and through our Activ8 Wellbeing Programme, we are able to ensure that they not only thrive professionally but are also empowered to prioritise their health and wellbeing both inside and outside of work. This recognition reinforces our belief that when we take care of our people, the entire business and community benefit. I’d like to thank the entire team for their continued passion and support in making AG a better, healthier place to work.”

#Wellbeing #Sustainability #Take5 #GoHomeSafe

Pictured L-R: Patrick Sadlier – Site Manager of AG’s Carryduff facility, Cathy Maguire – HSEQ Manager at AG, Mark McCardle – COO at AG.