Employers who work hard to keep their workforce healthy and happy have the chance to win recognition at this year's National Business Awards.

For the second year running, the cross government initiative Health Work and Wellbeing is sponsoring an award to help find the country's best employer when it comes to ensuring the health and wellbeing of its employees.

And for the first time this year, it's also sponsoring a similar award for small or medium-sized firms with 250 staff or less.

The National Business Awards, established in 2002, showcase UK business at its best - rewarding best practice, innovation and outstanding achievement. They are open to all businesses, of all sizes and from every industry.

The Health Work and Wellbeing categories aim to build on the momentum created by Dame Carol Black's review of the health of the working age population, Working for a Healthier Tomorrow. The review focused on ensuring people stay healthy at work and proposed radical changes to work-related health services. It was launched in March with key recommendations aimed to benefit a wide variety of people including employers, government, health professionals and individuals.

Dame Carol, National Director for Health and Work, said:

'Good health is good business and that's why I'm so determined to ensure our workplaces become healthier places, with everyone standing to benefit - families, employers and the country as a whole.

'I've seen some great examples of innovative programmes designed to keep employees healthy and happy. We need to hear from you if you're one of those companies or you work for one of them.

'The one way to make sure that everyone can look forward to work in a health enhancing environment is for that to be the normal, accepted standard, not the exception. But we still have some way to go. By giving public recognition to employers who are already making lives better, we can give every company a standard for which they should aim.'

Entries for awards are now being taken and the winners will be announced at a gala ceremony and dinner at London's Grosvenor House Hotel on 18 November.

To win one of the Health Work and Wellbeing awards you must be able to demonstrate to a panel of independent expert judges how you've improved the health and wellbeing of your workforce. For example, by maintaining a safe and healthy working environment beyond legal obligations; promoting healthy lifestyle choices; or supporting staff with a health condition to remain in or to return to work.

Businesses can enter the Health Work and Wellbeing Awards online at http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk or by contacting the entries team on 020 7234 8751 before noon on 31 July.

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