Southern Cross seeks award nominees championing workplace wellbeing
Southern Cross seeks award nominees championing workplace wellbeing | Insurance Business Australia
Life & Health
Southern Cross seeks award nominees championing workplace wellbeing
Award categories and judges revealed
Life & Health
By
Roxanne Libatique
The awards, now in their second year, seek to highlight organisations that prioritise the health and wellbeing of their employees, an area increasingly significant as many New Zealanders face pressures related to the cost of living and workplace stress.
SCHI Wayfinder Awards
Southern Cross Medical Care Society CEO Nick Astwick said the awards were important for identifying and celebrating businesses that are making meaningful contributions to employee wellness.
“We know it matters. Our own research points to this. New Zealanders want their employers to acknowledge the stress and strains they are under, and support them to do their jobs well, and to do so in good health. We’re excited to unlock even more ideas on how we can look after our people in more workplaces throughout the motu,” he said.
SCHI seeks nominations for 2025 Wayfinder Awards
The 2025 Wayfinder Awards are open to businesses of all sizes, with categories that recognise the efforts of small, medium, and large organisations, as well as individual leaders and innovators.
The awards aim to inspire more companies to adopt practices that improve employee health, with Southern Cross sharing insights and success stories from the nominations process to benefit the wider business community.
Astwick said that while many businesses are focused on managing costs amid economic challenges, supporting employee wellbeing remains crucial.
“It’s important to acknowledge how pressing these financial issues are, as they dictate the way we respond. As always, business leaders keep an eye on costs, but we mustn’t lose sight of the support our people need to enable them to be at their best. This support may come at a cost to businesses, for example, providing extra wellbeing days, training, and development and health insurance,” he said.
Judging panel for 2025 Wayfinder Awards
The judging panel for the 2025 awards includes returning judge Dr Denise Quinlan and Rob Holmes, discovery director at PaperKite, who was an inaugural award recipient.
They will be joined by Dr Ellen Joan Ford and Melanie Beirne, who will help evaluate entries based on their impact and innovation in the area of workplace wellbeing.
2025 Wayfinder Award categories
The award categories are as follows:
Star Wayfarer Award: For an individual who has significantly contributed to workplace health and wellbeing.
True North Award: For a leader who has improved their team’s wellbeing through exceptional leadership.
New Horizon Award: For a business that has introduced innovative programs or strategies to enhance employee wellbeing.
Wayfinder Small Business Award: For small businesses (100 or fewer employees) that prioritise employee wellbeing as part of their core strategy.
Wayfinder Medium Business Award: For medium-sized businesses (101 to 500 employees) that demonstrate a strong commitment to workplace health.
Wayfinder Large Business Award: For large businesses (over 500 employees) that integrate employee wellbeing into their business strategy.
Southern Cross is calling on businesses across New Zealand to submit their nominations and showcase how they are supporting the health and wellbeing of their teams.
The insights gained from these submissions will contribute to a broader understanding of effective workplace wellness practices in New Zealand.
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