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Case Study: Muller Dairy

In 2009 the company established the Lead a Müller Life programme – an employee wellbeing roadmap, which sets out Müller's vision for developing and expanding health and wellbeing initiatives over the next three years through to 2012.

Lead a Müller Life is a living blueprint, which is continually being expanded to meet changing needs. The objective is to enhance the wellbeing of every employee throughout the business from factory floor to boardroom, not only in the workplace, but in their everyday lives as well, so that they can enjoy a fuller, fitter and healthier lifestyle.

Under the workplace wellbeing programme, employees are offered a wide range of benefits, including:

• Private health care for all employees
• Access to an on-site physiotherapist on a regular basis
• Confidential counselling service – for employees and their partners
• Subsidised employee restaurant which incorporates daily healthy food options
• Free yogurt and hot beverages
• Subsidised gym membership
• Free flu vaccinations

The company also sponsors the Müller 'Giving Back' programme which gives employees the chance to get involved in local volunteering. Teams of 20 employees from across the business commit to a one day challenge to make a positive impact within the local community. A total of 82 volunteer days were undertaken in 2009.

Sport is another central hub and the Müller Dairy 10K Road Race, now in its seventh year, is an established event in the local community calendar. The company currently has a running club and football team and has plans to establish walking, cycling, golf and football clubs. Through the Government's Cycle to Work Scheme, Müller Dairy offers employees the opportunity to purchase a bicycle at a reduced price to cycle to work – 150 have signed up to the scheme so far.

The Müller Choices flexible benefits scheme allows employees to tailor benefits to suit their particular needs; all employees, spouses and children also have the opportunity to lease a green low CO2 emission car through Müller Dairy.

A series of training courses and free advice seminars are being rolled out during 2010 following the success of two pilot sessions, one covering basic nutrition principles and another looking at different ways that employees can manage and optimise their finances. An energy seminar offering tips for reducing energy useage and costs at home is next in the pipeline.

Müller Dairy has a broad spectrum of plans for future development, ranging from setting up a healthy eating club through to extending the reach of 'mini health MOTs' to more employees within the business. The health and wellbeing of Müller Dairy's 800 employees is high on the agenda of Britain's biggest yogurt producer.

More Information

FDF has published a booklet called Workplace Wellbeing: The Food Industry in Action (pdf, 984kb) which features many workplace wellbeing schemes .

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