Walking the Talk: Our Health & Wellbeing Plans for 2026
By Erin Wilson, Head of Business, Genesis Occupational Health & Safety
At Genesis Occupational Health & Safety, we support organisations every day to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of their people. As we move through 2026, it feels important to share how we’re applying those same principles internally, not just through policies or guidance, but in a way that is practical, inclusive and sustainable for real working lives.
This year, we’ve taken a more focused approach to wellbeing. Rather than running lots of separate initiatives, we’ve committed to one clear priority: movement. Specifically, improving mobility, fitness and everyday activity in a way that fits around busy schedules, travel, and varied roles.
Our 2026 Wellbeing Focus: Movement That Fits Real Working Life
Like many of our clients, our team spends a significant amount of time travelling, driving between sites, attending meetings and working at desks. Even with the best intentions, this can mean that movement and physical activity quietly drop down the priority list.
So, for 2026, our internal health and wellbeing challenge sees each of us taking on the goal of “walking” the length of the UK from John o’ Groats to Land’s End as many times as we can throughout the year.
For some, completing the journey there and back once will be a considerable achievement. Others may manage it two, three, five times or more. The emphasis isn’t on competition or pace, it’s on consistency, awareness and participation, whatever that looks like for each individual. Every mile counts.
To bring a bit of variety and a healthy level of challenge into the mix, Emma Eden, one of our Directors, is taking on the full UK coastal walking route and Stephen Little, one of our Health & Safety Advisors, is canoeing the entire UK coastline.
Making Wellbeing Practical, Not Perfect
Alongside the challenge itself, we’re focusing on the small, everyday habits that support long-term wellbeing. Throughout the year, we’ll be sharing things like:
- podcasts and music we’re listening to while out walking
- Food choices that help refuel busy working days
- simple stretches and mobility habits that help prevent aches, fatigue and injury
This approach reflects our wider philosophy at Genesis OHS wellbeing works best when it’s realistic, inclusive and built into everyday working life, rather than feeling like another thing to “keep up with”.
What This Means for Our Clients
One of the reasons I wanted to share our internal plans is that we regularly speak to organisations that want to support employee wellbeing, but aren’t always sure where to start or how to make it meaningful rather than tokenistic.
At Genesis Occupational Health & Safety, we work with organisations across the UK to design and deliver practical wellbeing initiatives that genuinely support people at work. This includes:
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Health Awareness Days
Covering topics such as mental health, musculoskeletal health, fatigue, stress, menopause, respiratory health and lifestyle-related risks. -
Executive Wellbeing Medicals
Combining Occupational Health input, Health & Safety awareness and practical, engaging sessions tailored to your workforce. -
Workplace Challenges
Including walking challenges, movement-based initiatives and behaviour-led campaigns that encourage sustainable change. -
Occupational Health Services
From health surveillance and screening to management referrals, pre-employment assessments, case management and fitness-for-work advice. -
Health & Safety Services
Consultancy including annual retainers, supporting safe systems of work, risk management and competence, while integrating wellbeing into everyday safety culture. -
Training
A wide range of core and bespoke training, an SQA-approved training centre, including SQA-accredited Occupational Health qualifications.
Whether you’re looking for a one-off awareness day, a themed wellbeing initiative, or a longer-term programme aligned to your organisational goals, Genesis OHS will work with you to ensure it is proportionate, compliant and effective.
Practising What We Deliver
For us, wellbeing isn’t a bolt-on or a tick-box exercise. It’s part of how we think about sustainable work, resilience and performance both internally and for the organisations we support.
By committing to our own wellbeing focus in 2026, we’re holding ourselves to the same standards we encourage others to adopt: realistic goals, consistency and a long-term view of health.
If you’d like to discuss how Genesis Occupational Health & Safety can support your organisation with wellbeing initiatives, Occupational Health, Health & Safety or training in 2026, we’d be very happy to have a conversation.
Sometimes, meaningful change really does start with putting one foot in front of the other.