ARN wraps up Health & Wellness Month

Australian Radio Network (ARN) ran Health & Wellness Month throughout October, a move which it said demonstrated its “commitment to supporting staff during these challenging times and beyond”.

The program included live speaker sessions, podcasts, Ted Talks, and exercise sessions designed to empower and motivate staff to take control of their physical and mental health. It was organised around the modules of Fuel (exercise, sleep and food), Fire (purpose, passion and goals), Feeling (kindness and gratitude) and Focus (focus on what matters).

ARN’s iHeartRadio also launched The Get Up – a digital radio station powered by staff requests for songs which lift them up.

ARN’s CEO Ciaran Davis said Health & Wellness Month had both personal and professional benefits.

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“We’ve got great people working at ARN, and we are especially proud of this initiative which was designed to support our staff during what has been a very challenging year,” he said.

“Our intention with Health & Wellness Month was to offer our colleagues a safe place to boost their health and fitness, to start conversations about mental health and encourage them to reach out for support, and to learn valuable coping and life management skills.

“We firmly believe a wellbeing strategy is critical for the overall health and happiness of staff, and particularly for our friends and colleagues in Melbourne who were hugely impacted by stage 4 lockdown.

“Maintaining good physical and mental health is also linked to boosting productivity in the workplace so, from a business perspective, we also see tremendous value in employing this initiative.”

People and culture operations manager Belinda Hilton drove the initiative, and saif it was rewarding to see so many ARN colleagues embrace it and participate in the activities.

“With so many people experiencing feelings of isolation, loneliness, depression, lack of motivation and poor self-esteem as a result of changes in this new COVID world, there has never been a more critical time to nurture physical and mental health,” she said.

“It was important to us to be inclusive, with sessions to suit everyone and topics including getting a great night’s sleep, time management, live meditation, laughing yoga, Batyr Mental Health, group personal training, nutrition, finding your purpose, and much more. There was even a live Q&A with our ARN on-air talent who discussed how they stay on top of their own health and wellbeing.”

The ARN Adelaide team getting active 

She added: “Our aim is to offer a sense of connection for our staff during these tough times, and equip them with the tools they need to best take control of their lives, their physical health and fitness, and their mental health.”

ARN staff whose roles survived the COVID-19 cull have now returned to full pay and work hours.

Davis noted the stand downs and reduced pay took their toll.

“The market is tough but we are seeing signs of improvement and sentiment to radio remains strong. Everyone at ARN worked incredibly hard on reduced hours over the past six months, most people were working longer hours than ever to support the business and that has not gone unnoticed,” he said in September.