ION corporate wellness launches new services to create healthier, happier workforces

Company led by former Wales and Cardiff Blues star aims to help businesses with new wellbeing programmes

Cardiff-based health and wellbeing provider ION Corporate Wellness has launched a range of services aimed at helping businesses create a healthier and happier workforce.

Founded and managed by former Wales and Cardiff Rugby player Robin Sowden-Taylor, ION Corporate Wellness provides businesses with flexible and tailored health and wellbeing solutions to support their employees both physically and mentally.

“In professional rugby, the understanding and value placed on the physical and mental preparation for the players are the foundations for performance. This should be no different in our own day to day lives as without good physical and mental health we will never be able to be the best version of ourselves in our family life, careers, businesses we run’.

‘When it comes to performance in the corporate world and recognising how placing a value on employee health and wellbeing you only have to look at a recent study carried out by Deloitte where they found that on average, for every £1 spent on supporting employees physical and mental health, employers get £5 back on their investment in reduced presenteeism, absenteeism and staff turnover. When it comes to how health can impact the performance of a business it doesn’t get much blacker and whiter than that’.

The company has already partnered with Space2B at The Maltings to provide an onsite class-based training facility ION@Space2B, alongside the provision of wellness initiatives to Space2B office members and the wider community.

In addition to sessions held at the training facility, the range of services provided by the team at ION include app-based healthy habits challenges, employee health checks and a range of seminars/workshops delivered via a network of experts online/in-person.

ION Corporate Wellness’ key areas of focus for optimal health:

• Movement
• Nutrition
• Stress Management
• Connections – selfcare, being present and valuing time with friends/family.

Robin is no stranger to the health and fitness world, running the thriving ION Strength & Conditioning training facility in Llanishen in north Cardiff as well as heading up Cardiff Blues’ strength and conditioning programme for eight years after his retirement as a player.

Speaking about the launch of ION Corporate Wellness, he said: “At ION we have a holistic approach to health and wellness, and over the past few years we have built a number of systems and programmes we believe can make a real difference to employers and employees.

“The last few years and the impact of the Covid pandemic has seen a real shift in focus to not just physical wellbeing of people, but also their mental wellbeing. Our approach benefits both.

“As a brand ION is about helping busy individuals build healthy habits for life, the launch of ION Corporate Wellness was a natural progression for us, we want to help businesses view wellness as more than a tick box solution by providing them with the tools necessary to support their staff.

“We are already working with a number of businesses and seeing a real difference in the attitude of their employees. Hopefully this is just the start, as we want to help more and more organisations create a healthier and happier workforce.”

The 300 sqm facility at The Maltings will be used for private corporate/team sessions and events and is also open to the public.

• In the UK, the total economic cost of sickness absence, lost productivity through worklessness, informal care giving, and health-related productivity losses, are estimated to be over £100bn annually
• The number of working days lost because of sickness or injury is estimated at 149.3 million working days, equivalent to 4.6 days per worker.
• Mental health issues were the main reason for people taking time off work – with people taking on average 18.8 days off.
• Over half of workers (54%) who take two or more mental health-related absences, will go on to leave their jobs.