Ideal Heating recognised for ‘inspiring’ commitment to employee wellbeing in manufacturing awards

Ideal is committed to investing in creating a positive workplace culture.

IDEAL Heating has struck gold after being honoured for its commitment to wellbeing in the workplace in the Make UK North East, Yorkshire and Humberside Manufacturing Awards 2024.

The business which employs around 1,000 people at its National Avenue Site in the city scooped the Manufacturing Matters Award during the awards dinner at Ramside Hall in Durham.

The awards, which are organised by Make UK, the manufacturers’ organisation, recognise the outstanding achievements of companies from across the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber.

Based in Hull since the company was founded in 1906, Ideal Heating is dedicated to creating a positive workplace culture by supporting team members in areas including health, finances and wellbeing.

As part of its commitment, Ideal delivered a £1.9m “Physical Spaces” investment programme to enhance team facilities at its headquarters site in Hull. The project included enhanced kitchen and food preparation areas, improved office spaces, an outdoor eating area and multi-faith prayer room.

The company is also continually striving to offer more ways of supporting the physical wellbeing of employees, by providing access to a range of services including health checks for all site-based team members, a counselling service with a qualified family therapist, and physiotherapy.

As part of its commitment to supporting employees’ mental wellbeing, the business recently trained its first cohort of Mental Health First Aiders, to complement the First Aid team, and invested in training for team managers to cover mental ill health and drug and alcohol awareness.

Recognising the importance of financial security on the wellbeing of employees and their families, Ideal also recently began providing a Financial Wellbeing update every month covering a wide range of topics, including pension planning and savings tips.

Ideal Heating HR Manager Miriam Moore said: “We’re really proud that our commitment to supporting the wellbeing of our team members has been recognised at the Make UK Manufacturing Awards.

“Employee wellbeing is hugely important to us at Ideal Heating and we’ve put an enormous amount of effort into creating a safe and supportive workplace environment which enables our people to develop their skills and grow.”

Awards organisers said Ideal Heating was selected as the winner of the award in recognition of its “extensive and relentless efforts to improve the wellbeing of its staff”.

The judges said: “Ideal Heating’s commitment to employee wellbeing is truly inspiring. Their dedication to fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace at every level is reflected in its proactive and thoughtful initiatives.

“From improvements in physical spaces to holistic health and financial support, these efforts are enhancing employee satisfaction and overall quality of life, setting the standard for employee care.”

Dawn Huntrod, Region Director for Make UK in the North, added: “These awards are a testament to the dynamic companies and individuals working within engineering and manufacturing.

“The sector remains at the heart of creating wealth in Yorkshire and the Humber and as we grow our economy there will be a bright future for companies and individuals that make the most of their talent.”

Ideal Heating will now go on to the National Finals which will be held in London in January.