The fine print

Britain’s Healthiest Workplace is open to all United Kingdom-based organisations that have at least 20 employees in the UK who are eligible to participate in the survey. Participation is free of charge.

Organisations appointed contacts can sign-up at https://www.vitality.co.uk/business/healthiest-workplace/sign-up/. Here you will be given the option to sign-up your organisation for the survey yourself or you can ask our survey support team for assistance. You will also have access to supporting and promotional material to help raise awareness of the survey within your organisation. This is located within the ‘How it works’ page of the website or by emailing the survey support team at [email protected].

Once you have signed up, the survey support team will acknowledge via email and issue you with your employer survey link, where you will provide information about your organisation and customise your survey, this should be completed within 2 weeks of your original sign-up. Within the employer survey, you can customise your employee survey, by choosing your survey start date, duration, segment your employees (if required), and choose which survey you wish to participate in. You can choose from either the core survey or the core plus additional modules. Examples of the question topics and modules are available by emailing the survey support team at [email protected]. The survey questions will cover dimensions related to employee health, wellbeing, and the workplace and community factors that impact on employee health and performance. At the end of the employer survey, you will generate the employee link which has been designed using the requirements you input into the employer survey.

1. The survey will commence and terminate on your preferred dates as agreed with Vitality i.e., you choose your start date and the duration of your survey within your employer survey. We suggest between a 2-to-8- week window.
2. Once you have signed up you will receive acknowledgement from our survey support team who will confirm the next steps, provide you with your employer link to customise your employee survey and they will advise the target number of employee completions required to be entered into the awards and to receive an accreditation. Employees will be requested to complete the same version of the survey chosen by you however, if required, you can segment your employees by location or business unit. You will then distribute the employee link to your staff using your own internal communication platform. Our survey support team will provide suggested email wording to assist with distributing the employee link, however, they cannot email them to your employees for you. Your employees will choose which segment they fit into at the beginning of their employee survey.
3. You, or a representative of your organisation, need to complete the employer survey within 2 weeks of receiving the link. This survey includes customising the employee survey and covers areas about your organisation such as the profile of your workforce; health and wellbeing culture, policies, and practices; and your organisational approach to community and environmental issues. Completion of this survey is an essential part of customising the survey and we highly recommend you review the questions before completion as this must be completed in one sitting. A copy of the employer questions will be provided by the survey support team when they issue the link.
4. Employees complete the survey on a voluntary basis. The core survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete – the time will be extended if you have chosen additional modules. At the beginning of the employee survey, employees will be asked to input their preferred email address, this will enable them to save their responses as they progress in the survey, and receive reminder emails. In addition, if they are a Vitality member, we’ll be able to match their responses to previous years, if they have taken part and input the same email address. If you wish to know more about the matching process, please see our Privacy Notice located within the website.
5. On completion of the survey your employees will immediately receive a confidential Personal Health Report, which will include their Vitality Age (a clinically validated algorithm that enables employees to understand their health as a single number based on lifestyle choice and clinical factors), an overview of their health and wellbeing risks, and tips and guidance to maintain and improve their health.
6. If a minimum of 20 employees complete the employee survey, your organisation will qualify for an Organisation Health Report. This report will combine insights from both the employee and employer surveys and will differ depending on which survey and modules you selected. The data within is anonymised. The Organisation Health will be available at least 48 hours before your feedback consultation. The survey support team will email you a link to a webpage where you will be able to download your report and view a short video which shows highlights of your results. If you wish to receive the report without a feedback consultation, please contact the survey support team at [email protected]. Your results will be benchmarked against other organisations within your sector based on the UK Standard Industrial Classification Hierarchy.
7. You will be offered a feedback consultation with our health and wellbeing experts to discuss your results and, if required, help to develop your health and wellbeing strategy. This consultation is free of charge.
8. Organisations that complete the survey and reach the target number of employee completions, which is dependent on the size of their organisation will additionally be provided with a health and wellbeing accreditation status. An explanation of the accreditation can be requested by emailing the survey support team at [email protected]. The accreditation status will be generated and certificates will be issued following the winners announcement in January 2024.
9. Organisations that reach the target number of employee completions will also be entered into the Britain’s Healthiest Workplace awards and stand the chance to be recognised as a winner or top performer. The names of the top performing organisations will be published in a dedicated magazine prepared by our media partner, The Financial Times. Publication will be during January 2024. We will also showcase the winners within our website, and they will be contacted by Vitality’s survey support team.

1. You should only agree to these terms and conditions if you are authorised to commit your organisation to take part in the Britain’s Healthiest Workplace survey. By signing up, you are agreeing to these terms and conditions and signifying that you have the necessary authority to do so.
2. Participating organisations must have a minimum of 20 employees who are over the age of 18, based in the UK, with email access, and who will be invited to participate in the survey.
3. Each organisation must achieve a minimum of 20 employee submissions to receive their Organisation Health Report.
4. Each organisation must achieve a minimum employee participation rate that is determined by the size of its workforce. Organisations that do not achieve this minimum rate will not be eligible to receive their accreditation status, or to rank for the Britain’s Healthiest Workplace awards.
5. Organisations must have participated before 31 October 2023 to be included in the 2023 Britain’s Healthiest Workplace awards. Any organisations who take part after this date will be included in the following years’ awards.
6. Participating organisations must agree to their relevant representatives being interviewed, filmed and/or photographed, as well as to providing a testimonial for use on the Britain’s Healthiest Workplace website and promotional materials.
7. If an organisation is awarded 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in the overall Britain’s Healthiest Workplace award category, the organisation agrees:
   a) To provide its logo and a case study for use in the winners section of the Britain’s Healthiest Workplace website. The case study will outline the organisation’s health and wellbeing strategy and approach and celebrate its achievements. It will be prepared by Vitality, based on a telephonic interview with a representative of the organisation. The organisation will have the right to approve and edit the content of the case study prior to its publication on the website. If an organisation withholds the use of its logo and/or case study for this purpose, it will no longer be eligible to rank for an award, or use or promote its accreditation status, for that year.
   b) To be interviewed by The Financial Times, as well as other media outlets, so that its story and achievements can be published in print and online.
8. The name of any organisation that achieves a top three ranking in the overall Britain’s Healthiest Workplace award category may be published in relation to this ranking. Britain’s Healthiest Workplace retains the right to name all organisations that participate – however, no organisation that ranked outside of the top three will be named in connection to their ranking without express consent being obtained.

The organisation’s representative should:

1. Provide the necessary information to sign-up the organisation and to generate the employee survey.
2. Complete the employer survey within 2 weeks of signing up. This survey includes customising the survey, questions on topics such as employee demographics, wellness facilities and how the organisation is investing in the health of its employees.
3. Notify employees that the organisation is participating in Britain’s Healthiest Workplace and encourage them to complete the employee survey during the chosen survey period. Materials to support the promotion of the survey are available by contacting the survey support team.
4. Distribute the link to the employee survey to all eligible staff members, if applicable.
5. Assist the Britain’s Healthiest Workplace survey support team to set up interviews with the appropriate organisational spokesperson for the purposes of the case studies and media opportunities outlined in the ‘Criteria for entry’ section of these terms and conditions.

1. Employees: Following completion of the employee survey, employees will receive immediate, and confidential, feedback that includes their Vitality Age, an overview of the factors that may be impacting their health and wellbeing, and tips and guidance on how to maintain and improve their health.
2. Employer: Should an organisation qualify for a results report, this will be available 48 hours before the feedback consultation which will be offered within 3 weeks of completing the survey. The report will consolidate responses received in the employer and employee surveys across the various dimensions asked about in the survey. Results will be benchmarked, where possible.

Taking part in the survey is free and participation is completely voluntary. By clicking on the survey link and submitting their responses, employees provide affirmative consent to the use of their data, in completely anonymised form, for employer reporting and further research. Consent for participating in the survey, can be withdrawn at any time by emailing [email protected] and including Britain’s Healthiest Workplace in the subject heading. As well as upholding strict governance of the organisational information you provide, any personal information that employees provide is covered by data protection standards regulated by the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK General Protection Regulation (GDPR). There are four principles that Vitality commits to uphold regarding personal employee information.

1. Individual employee responses will be kept confidential and will not be shared with employers.
2. No individual employee will be identifiable in any survey output, such as the results report.
3. Employee responses will only be used to achieve the stated purpose of the Britain’s Healthiest Workplace initiative.
4. Employee respondents will not be exposed to any marketing activity as a direct result of their participation in Britain’s Healthiest Workplace. All data provided by you and/or collected through the survey will be stored, transferred, and used in accordance with Vitality’s Privacy Notice, which can be located within the survey website. Prior to completing the employee survey, all employees will be required to give their explicit consent for their data to be used by Vitality for research and reporting purposes, in accordance with the stated Privacy Notice. All survey data will be stored for the period that the Britain’s Healthiest Workplace survey is offered by Vitality and can be requested to be deleted by individuals at any time in accordance with the GDPR principles.

Vitality has chosen to offer an incentive to all employees who submit their surveys during a set period. The full terms and conditions for this incentive can be viewed here.

1. Organisations and employees can withdraw their participation at any time, without any benefit or disadvantage.
2. Employees can withdraw their consent to store and analyse their data collected through Britain’s Healthiest Workplace at any time, and they are clearly provided with this information. More details about this process can be found in the accompanying Privacy Notice.
3. Vitality reserves the right to end the initiative at any time.

Please email [email protected] and our team will be happy to help.

Any requests for personal data, or to withdraw consent, must be emailed to [email protected] and include Britain's Healthiest Workplace in the subject heading. We have one month in which to respond. 

Vitality Corporate Services Ltd (“Vitality”) commissions Britain’s Healthiest Workplace in partnership with RAND Europe (“RAND”), Cambridge University (“Cambridge”), the Financial Times, and Aon.

Vitality is a data controller and commissions the study, capturing survey responses, and performing analytical and research functions associated with the study. RAND Europe is a data processor, providing independent validation of the survey and undertaking research functions. Medallia Inc, developed the survey tool and provides ongoing technical support, maintenance and they are a data controller and data processor.

This Privacy Notice explains how we will use the information you give to us whilst completing the Britain’s Healthiest Workplace survey.

We recognise the important role that employers play in supporting the health and wellbeing of their employees. By encouraging healthier behaviours and establishing healthier work practices, employee health can improve – to the benefit of both the employee and their employer. This is why we launched Britain’s Healthiest Workplace.

Through Britain’s Healthiest Workplace we aim to empower organisations to support the health, wellbeing, and performance of their employees through insights and data and celebrate the success of those who have made this core to their business at our annual awards. The accreditation process allows organisations to benchmark against other organisations and track and measure improvement. In addition, the initiative also supports individuals taking part to become better informed about their health and lifestyle behaviours.

Taking part in the survey is voluntary. We collect and store information about you if you complete the survey in the ways outlined below. The more questions you complete accurately, the more relevant your personal feedback will be following completion of your survey. Your personal feedback includes your Vitality Age, a measure of how your lifestyle choices impact on your life expectancy, as well as tips and guidance to help you maintain and improve your health and wellbeing.

The type of information we collect in the survey includes information about your lifestyle behaviours, your physical and mental health, your experience of the workplace and your perspective of your engagement and performance. We will ask you to provide your email address at the time of completion. Your email address will allow you to access the survey and will also be used to remind you to complete the survey if you have not done so after a designated period.

For example: By participating in the survey, you agree to Vitality matching your responses to other years you have taken part so that we can report on national wellbeing trends across more than one year. Personal responses will be kept and used anonymously, for reporting and research purposes only. By matching this data, we will be able to better understand the impact that the workplace and other factors are having on the physical and mental health of UK employees. You will not be identified to your employer or anyone else or used for marketing. You have the right to withdraw at any time.

Lastly, if you are a Vitality member, we will match your survey responses to your health and wellbeing information that we collect as part of the Vitality Programme.

We collect information from you through the completion of the survey to provide you with your personal feedback. 

Vitality will keep your survey data confidentially and securely to allow us to match your responses across future years in which you take part in the survey. You can withdraw your consent to this at any time and request the deletion of your survey data. The purpose of matching your survey responses across years is so that you can understand how your health and wellbeing is developing over time. Further, it will enable Vitality to analyse trends and undertake research on workplace wellness issues. Your data will be analysed securely and separated from anything that personally identifies you. It will be combined with data from other participants in the study, meaning that your personally identifiable information will not be made available to anyone or be used in any reporting or research outputs.

Vitality has chosen to offer an incentive to all employees who submit their surveys during a set period. The survey support team will use your email address to advise if you’ve been chosen as a winner. Full terms and conditions for this incentive can be viewed here

Data protection and integrity are of the utmost importance for Vitality. As the principal service provider for Britain’s Healthiest Workplace, Vitality collects, stores, and analyses all survey data on its UK servers in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This ensures the safety, privacy, and confidentiality of your data.

Vitality has contracted Medallia Inc, a customer experience organisation, to host the survey, provide technical support and maintenance for the Britain’s Healthiest Workplace survey instrument. These activities will enable Medallia to access the database where survey responses are stored. Vitality has engaged Medallia through contractual clauses, which include model clauses to ensure the protection and confidentiality of your data.

The answers that you provide in the survey will be used to produce your Personal Health Report, a customised report that includes both your Vitality Age and guidance on how to maintain and improve your health and wellbeing. Your Personal Health Report will be generated on completion of the survey and will be available to you.  Your Personal Health Report will not be shared with any individual or organisation outside of Vitality. In addition, your personal information will not be used for marketing purposes, and you will not be contacted in relation to this survey unless you request it, for instance by emailing the survey support team directly with a query or you have won the incentive. 

Vitality will also generate a results report for your employer. This report provides an aggregate, anonymised view of responses collected from all employees in your organisation. Your personal information will not be made available to your employer in this report. The results report will be generated by Vitality and distributed to the registered contact at your organisation, and it will be password protected.  

In addition to preparing the personal and combined results reports, Vitality will also conduct research and analysis using de-identified data from all respondents to the survey. Vitality may work with academic partners on this research, including, but not limited to, RAND Europe, University of Cambridge, Aon, and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. 

If you agree, we will securely and confidentially store your information for the duration of the Britain’s Healthiest Workplace project. By retaining your data, Vitality can analyse long-term trends that support ongoing research into employee and workplace health. 

You can email [email protected] to access the information we hold about you in relation to the Britain’s Healthiest Workplace survey. Please include the words Britain’s Healthiest Workplace in the subject line of the email.
To understand your rights, please consult the Information Commissioner’s Office guide on individual rights: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/individual-rights/

For complaints, concerns or compliments you can contact: [email protected]

You can contact the ICO (Information Commissioners Office) to enquire about data protection or to raise complaints or concerns by visiting their website at https://ico.org.uk/or telephoning 0303 123 1113.

If at any time you’d like to withdraw your consent to your data being matched and stored, either now or in the future, please email [email protected] including the words Britain’s Healthiest Workplace | Data deletion in the subject line.