The Workwise Initiative focuses on the promotion of Health and Wellbeing in the workplace as a means of reducing rates of absenteeism and in so doing improving overall SME and Local Authority performance and competitiveness through increased employee productivity.

The project was delivered across the three partner Council areas and 150 local SMEs. Both the Health and Safety Authority in RoI and the Health & Safety Executive for NI recognise the significant economic and associated social problems relating to absenteeism. Before the commencement of the project a small scale pilot project was carried out by Antrim Borough Council targeting several Antrim based SMEs and revealed by utilising up to ten targeted areas of health advice and awareness a business can reduce employee absenteeism.

The primary aim of the project comprised the promotion of Health and Wellbeing in the workplace to help deliver a sustainable enterprise

culture and to strengthen the SME sector both nationally and

internationally in terms of competitive advantage.