Ipswich Building Society chief executive Paul Winter was among the speakers at the 2014 Health and Wellbeing Conference, held at the NEC in Birmingham.

Mr Winter discussed how organisations with a high level of employee engagement, such as the Ipswich Building Society, outperform their peers in terms of earnings and growth and how employees who are physically active take 27% less time off work.

As an HRH Prince of Wales Ambassador for the East of England, Mr Winter also spoke about the work that the society has been doing in Suffolk to support Business In the Community’s Action on Public Health.

This programme taps into the Department of Health Responsibility Deal and encourages businesses to use their positive influence to improve the wellbeing of the communities they work in.

Ipswich Building Society has championed these programmes through meeting with more than 200 employers across the East and engaging the statutory and voluntary sectors.

Mr Winter said “The key to health and wellbeing at work is leadership from the top. I am firm advocate of investment in our staff through enabling volunteering, reward schemes, flexible working patterns and training.

“A happy workforce is a productive one, so this focus provides real benefit not just for our company culture but for our business.”

Now in its eighth year, the Health and Wellbeing Conference is focused on improving the health and wellbeing of work-aged people, providing its audience with new ideas and resources to help ensure employees are fit and healthy, able to fulfil their potential.