8th September 2014
RBH launches UK-wide health and wellbeing initiative,�which is set to revitalise the welfare of its 3,000 employees, with one team member facing the challenge head-on in a bid to transform his lifestyle and achieve the ultimate clean bill of health.
Tackling a range of mind and body challenges, the scheme will allow each of the firm's hotels, offices and departments to pinpoint areas of their lives which can be enhanced, including diet, smoking, drinking, stress, mental attitude and a whole host of other areas.
The initiative will see thousands of employees get involved in a variety of sports and exercise regimes and get to know the facts surrounding health topics including good diet and managing stress.
Human Resources Manager Guilherme Margherita will help to lead the new health campaign across RBH' 56 UK locations, covering 54 hotels and two offices, in order to dramatically improve his own health and help create a happier, safer and more motivated workforce.
Determined Guilherme has set himself the challenge to lose 12kg in weight, having already lost 7.5kg in the last three months. He has also stopped smoking and drinking and is using the scheme to help learn about nutritional foods and to enjoy exercise.
The HR specialist hopes to inspire his colleagues to do the same, as he helps roll out the new initiative across the company.
30-year-old Guilherme said: "I wanted to take the lead on this health and wellbeing promotion within the company in order to make a real change to my own life.
"The programme has helped me give up smoking and drinking and I've already learnt a lot about nutrition, which has had a fantastic impact on my overall health.
"Up to now I've never really been interested in sport or physical activity so I've found getting fit and active to be the most challenging part of the scheme so far. However I'm now training twice a day, six days a week for the Survival of the Fittest race and Tough Mudder - two competitions which are set to put my fitness to the ultimate test.
"The RBH scheme has given me a great springboard from which to dive into this fitness plan. The initiative is really improving my lifestyle and I hope it will have similar effects for the people I work with day to day, as well as others from across the company that I am yet to meet."
A long term commitment to health within the company, Redefine|BDL Hotel's scheme is split into bronze, silver and gold stages, which each take approximately 12 months to complete.
Susan Bland, Head of Human Resources at RBH said: "We are really keen to support our team in all areas of their lives - not just their work. We hope this new initiative's upfront approach to employee wellbeing will rival programmes in some of the largest companies in the world.
"Years of research has shown that healthier employees have higher levels of engagement, lower absence levels and provide better levels of service for our guests, all of which results in a positive impact on the business, the individuals and the team. It's a win-win situation.
"Guilherme is a fantastic role model for other employees who are looking for that extra boost of motivation to make a change in their life. He is very committed to making a difference to his own lifestyle and promoting the benefits of health and wellbeing across the company. We will be supporting him all the way."