August 2026

Welcome to the Healthy Working Wales (HWW) newsletter

Our monthly newsletter provides regular updates from the HWW team, including workplace health and wellbeing news and links to upcoming campaigns and events.

This month:

New resources to support young employees
New Breastfeeding in the Workplace Toolkit
How Public Health Wales are supporting Breastfeeding employees
Healthy Working Wales events
HWW Employer Recognition Badges
Healthy Working Wales Annual report 2025-26
Sustainability skills for a future-ready workplace
Upcoming key dates and campaigns

Feel free to share our newsletter with your colleagues or networks and visit our website to view previous editions.

New resources to support young employees

Do you employ young people aged 16 to 24, or work with young people preparing for employment?
We have launched a range of new resources designed to support young employees as they enter and navigate the world of work.

Developed with both young people and employers, these resources provide practical advice that is relevant and grounded in real-life experiences.

Our Thriving at Work, A Young Person’s Guide aims to support young people as they transition from education into employment, offering clear and practical advice on a range of topics.

Our Supporting Young People at Work guide for employers offers practical guidance on how to support, engage and get the best from young employees, helping to create positive and inclusive workplaces where young people can thrive.

Our ‘Ready, Set, Thrive’ workshops offer young people the opportunity to access practical advice and guidance to help them prepare for working life and thrive in the workplace.

If you have employees aged 16 to 24 who are new to the workplace or work with young people preparing to enter employment, encourage them to book a place.

A close up of colleagues looking at a laptop on a desk, one of them is pointing at the screen.

Upcoming workshops

29 September, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
26 November 2026, 1:30pm – 3:00pm
25 February 2027, 10:00 am – 11:30 am

Find out more, including how to register.

New Breastfeeding in the Workplace Toolkit

We’ve launched a new Breastfeeding in the Workplace toolkit to help employers create workplace environments that support mothers to continue breastfeeding when they return to work after maternity leave.

Supporting employees to continue breastfeeding benefits both families and employers. Evidence suggests that breastfeeding-friendly workplaces can improve staff retention, reduce recruitment and onboarding costs, and contribute to lower levels of sickness absence by supporting the health and wellbeing of mothers and babies.

The toolkit provides practical guidance, resources and best practice recommendations to help organisations:

Understand their responsibilities as employers
Support conversations between managers and employees
Create breastfeeding-friendly workplace environments
Promote employee wellbeing, inclusion and retention

This resource has been developed together with partners including NHS organisations, trade unions and the third sector. Together, we’re helping to build workplaces where employees can return to work with confidence, knowing their choice to breastfeed will be respected and supported.

View the toolkit and toolbox talk

HWW would love to see how you and your organisation are using the resource – get in touch to share how the toolkit has helped you.

How Public Health Wales are supporting breastfeeding employees

Public Health Wales introduced ‘The Nest’, a dedicated wellbeing space that includes a parents’ area for breastfeeding and expressing milk.

Developed in partnership with staff networks and employee groups, it provides a private and comfortable environment that supports both parenting and wellbeing needs.

“At Public Health Wales we want to support all families in Wales to Breastfeed as long as they would like to, and that starts with our staff”

Claire Birchall, Executive Director of Nursing, quality and integrated governance.

Read the full story on our website and explore other success stories.

Upcoming free HWW events

In-Work Support Service webinar

Join this free webinar and learn about In-Work Support Services in Wales:

Understand what the In-Work Support Service is and why it is needed
Who delivers the In-Work Support Service in different areas
The services and support they provide through IWSS and some of the successes that they have had
How employers and individuals can contact or access their support

Date: 07 October 2026

Time: 10:00 – 11:00

Location: online (link provided upon registration)

HWW First Steps Workshops

Are you new to workplace health and wellbeing, or unsure where to begin?

Our free, practical First Steps Workshops are designed to help organisations across Wales get started with confidence.

Participants will also be eligible to apply for our Active Employer Recognition Badge.

08 October 2026, 10:00 – 12:00

21 January 2027, 10:00 – 12:00

Save the date – HWW Annual Event

Mark your calendars for 12 November 2026 and join us at our annual in-person event in Cardiff.

More information coming soon.

HWW Employer Recognition Badges

The Healthy Working Wales (HWW) Recognition Badges recognise employers who are taking positive steps to improve health and wellbeing in the workplace.

Find out how to achieve your badge.

Healthy Working Wales Annual Report 2025-26

It has been a busy and exciting year for Healthy Working Wales.

Discover how we have supported employers across Wales in 2025-26, including the launch of new services, free webinars, workplace support programmes and resources designed to improve employee health and wellbeing.

Read the Healthy Working Wales Annual Report 2025-26.

Sustainability skills for a future-ready workplace

A close up of a group of people standing in a circle with their hands all holding a plant in the centre.

Looking to strengthen your organisation’s sustainability knowledge? A range of fully funded ISEP environmental sustainability courses are available this September, covering: