Employee wellness initiative takes off at Air Seychelles |12 July 2013

He showed great leadership skills as he faced his fear of needles to participate in an employee health screening at the Air Seychelles head office, under the watchful eyes of his management team, Air Seychelles staff and the media.

Mr Ball and his employees had their blood pressure, blood sugar, body mass index, HIV status and eyes tested. Even though the chief executive seemed unconvinced that he needed to get checked for signs of breast cancer, the option was indeed available to any employee who wished to be screened for one of the most prevalent cancers in the world.

The initiative was launched with the partnership of the Ministry of Health, which has made health professionals and equipment available for the screenings.

The employee wellness screenings will run every Thursday from 9am to 3pm until August 11 in order to give a chance for all of the airline’s 600 employees to find the opportunity to get tested.
Mr Ball says his health report card is satisfactory, although he feels his weight could come down a little more after seeing the results of his body mass index (BMI).

“I need to lose a little bit more weight and do some more exercise. My weight is ok, but for my height it needs to come down a little. Otherwise everything is good,” he said.

Mr Ball added that people tended to lead very busy lives and it was opportunities like this that gave employees the chance to stop and take some time to think about their health.

“It’s all about building a healthy workforce and helping our employees to live healthy lives. We know that if you have healthy people, it means they are healthy at home and healthy in the workplace. It’s about investing in our staff and helping our staff live healthier lifestyles so they can live longer and be healthier.”

“The screening is being done every Thursday for the next month, so all our employees are being encouraged to do this and get advice on how to lead healthier lifestyles, which is what it’s all about.”

A number of chronic illnesses could be picked up as a result of the screening tests, such as diabetes, hypertension, HIV and glaucoma, and Mr Ball said that Air Seychelles supports all their employees’ well-being, whatever the results of the tests.

“Our employees’ health is a personal matter, but they are our staff and we need to support them,” he said. “What happens between the staff members and the health workers here is completely confidential and totally their business, but we will be supportive of them and help them to lead healthier lifestyles.”
Mr Ball said he appreciated the support the airline had received from the Ministry of Health.

“It’s really important and we couldn’t have done this without them. It’s great to have their help and work in partnership with them on this.”