Together we stay stronger Health and Wellbeing support guide Over the last few months we have shared details and guidance on a wide range of Health and Wellbeing topics to help and support you during this unprecedented time. We understand that many different things contribute to your overall positive Health and Wellbeing and we have focused on mental, physical, financial and many lifestyle aspects. This guide aims to provide at a glance information, support and guidance on: 1.Positive mental, physical and financial wellbeing 2. Working on site and in sales offices 3. Working from home 4. Balancing roles at home 5. Flexible working 6. Staying connected 7. Burnout and exhaustion 8. eLearning and webinars 9. Help and support available We will continue to share support and guidance on a range of Health and Wellbeing topics and will also address the feedback on our Health and Wellbeing communications and support received as part of the recent COVID-19 response survey.
Together we stay stronger Everyone has mental health, just like everyone has physical health – sometimes it's good and sometimes it's poor. In the course of a lifetime, not all people will experience a mental illness, but everyone will struggle or have a challenge with their mental wellbeing (i.e. their mental health) just like we all have challenges with our physical wellbeing from time to time.
Mental wellbeing When we talk about mental health, we’re talking about our mental wellbeing: our emotions, our thoughts and feelings, our ability to solve problems and overcome difficulties, our social connections, and our understanding of the world around us. Lockdown is easing across the country in different ways and at different times. As we come out of lockdown many of us are faced with what we may see as both challenges and opportunities. Some of us may also experience anxiety, which could be due to fear of infection, being back in the workplace or travelling to work. It may also understandably be worrying for those who are more at risk from the virus or living with mental health problems. Ways that you can improve your mental health and wellbeing If this is something you are struggling, the Mental Health Foundations has tips on dealing with fear and anxiety on their website as lockdown eases and coping with uncertainty. Evidence suggests there are five steps you can take to improve your mental health and wellbeing. Trying these things could help you feel more positive and able to get the most out of life: 1. Connect with other people: Good relationships are important for your mental wellbeing. 2. Be physically active: Being active is not only great for your physical health and fitness but evidence also shows it can also improve your mental wellbeing. 3. Learn new skills: Even if you feel like you do not have enough time, or you may not need to learn new things, there are lots of different ways to bring learning into your life. 4. Give to others: It could be small acts of kindness towards other people, or larger ones like volunteering in your local community. 5. Pay attention to the present (mindfulness): Mindfulness can help you enjoy life more and understand yourself better. It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges. The Group SHE team have also produced a Mental Health guidance leaflet which provides information and details of support available. Mindfulness and positive psychology Our health partner, Vitality, have provided a number of mindfulness webinars hosted by their mental health and wellbeing specialist coach Henri Saha. Click on any of the five topics below to join a session at a time that is convenient for you: Topic – Kindness Topic – Confidence
Topic – Resilience
Topic – Wisdom
Topic – Happiness
In addition, the Learning and Development team run regular mindfulness practice sessions, visit MyLearning for available dates. There are a number of free mindfulness apps that you can download such as Headspace, Calm, Aura, Stop, Breathe & Think and Insight Timer. Positive psychology looks at what we can do to be happier on a day-to-day basis. View the Positive Psychology – The Key to challenging times podcast online, which provides advice and guidance on thinking positively. The NHS have a 'Feeling good: Positive Mindset' App available which offers four free audio tracks designed to help you build confidence, energy and a positive mindset. Mental Health First Aiders As part of our continuing commitment to the health and wellbeing of our employees, the HR and SHE teams are currently undergoing training to become Mental Health First Aiders. The role of a Mental Health First Aider is to be a point of contact at work for any employee who is experiencing a mental health issue or emotional distress. This interaction could range from having an initial conversation through to supporting and signposting the person to get appropriate help. Visit Our Place to view more information on mental health and wellbeing.
Together we stay stronger Physical wellbeing - Sleep Sleep is as important to our health as eating, drinking and breathing. It allows our bodies to repair themselves and our brains to consolidate our memories and process information. Poor sleep is linked to physical problems such as a weakened immune system and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. The NHS recommends 8 hours sleep per night, however the average adult in the UK only sleeps for 6 hours 19 minutes which is 1 hour 41 minutes less than the recommended amount. The average person is getting 614 hours (25.6 days) less sleep than they should do each year. Insufficient sleep can lead to: - Increased blood pressure - Type 2 diabetes - Heart disease - Anxiety and depression
- Weight gain - Reduction in cancer-fighting cells - Increased risk of stroke - Build-up of a toxic protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease
Many of us may be find sleeping well a challenge at the moment, so we have some tips below to assist you in getting a better night's sleep: Keep regular sleep hours: Going to bed when you feel tired and getting up at roughly the same time each days helps teach your body to sleep better. You should try to avoid napping where possible as this could impact your sleeping pattern. Create a restful environment: Dark, quiet and cool environments generally make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. Confront sleeplessness: If you're lying awake unable to sleep, don't force it. Get up and do something relaxing for a bit, and return to bed when you feel sleepier. Write down your worries: If you often lie awake worrying about tomorrow, set aside some time before bed to make a list for the next day. This can help put your mind at rest. Put down the pick-me-ups: Caffeine and alcohol can stop you falling asleep and prevent a deep sleep. Try to cut down on alcohol and avoid caffeine close to bedtime. Try a sleep app: Apps like Sleepio or Calm can help with meditation and sleep. If you are concerned about the amount and quality of sleep you are having, and the effects it is having on other aspects of your life, you should speak to your GP, who will be able to help and provide further guidance and support. Visit the physical health and wellbeing page on Our Place for more information.
Financial wellbeing Many of you may be concerned about your finances during these uncertain times, so we have put together some key information that may help you manage your finances. Information we have been provided from charitable organisations show that worrying about your finances can have a huge impact on your overall wellbeing but in particular your mental wellbeing. Health and benefits consultant Mercer, have provided "a guide to money in the time of coronavirus", which gives a clear explanation of things that you can do that may help you stay on top of your finances. If you are worried about your financial wellbeing then this in turn can have a huge effect on your mental and physical wellbeing. View the guide online to see how the below topics could help you feel more confident about your finances:
Together we stay stronger It’s important to review your finances for your household as this will give you a clear view of your current budget. Break it down into sections; income, outgoings and assets / savings. Remember current costs may be different to usual months, e.g. your transport cost may go down but your grocery cost may increase. View The Money Advice Service’s online budget planner as it may help you to review and assess your current budget. If you find that your income is less than your outgoing costs then do not worry, the key thing to do is to seek assistance and speak to your creditors sooner rather than later. You may be able take advantage of special measures that have been put in place due to the coronavirus. Financial education provider, Close Brothers, have released four short pre-recorded webinars with useful practical advice around financial wellbeing. Click on each of the below to watch the webinars Money worries during the COVID-19 pandemic (webinar, 15 minutes) Using the COVID-19 lockdown to improve financial wellbeing (webinar, 19 minutes) Protecting your financial wellbeing (animated video, 2 minutes) How to cope with money worries during the COVID-19 pandemic (bite-size video, 7 minutes) Did you know that you can make savings on your weekly food shop? Visit My Barratt Staff Shop to find out more about the offers available at ASDA, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and more which can all help to you with your budgeting and finances.
Working on sites and in sales offices As many site-based colleagues have now returned to work, we want to remind colleagues that their health and safety remains our number one priority. As we welcomed colleagues back on site and in our sales offices, we put in place a number of measures to ensure that our sites comply with all of the current health, safety and wellbeing guidance. Below are details of just some of the measures we've put in place: Social distancing measures are in place, as well as one-way systems, new signage and extra hand washing facilities so you feel safe while at work. Each site has a dedicated marshall to ensure everyone who comes on to our sites follows the safety measures and rules we have carefully arranged. Upon return to site, all employees are briefed about the changes to their new working environment and the new measures and processes in place. Everyone is required to read SHE Briefing 31 and must complete SHE Form 107 before going on site. You may have concerns about returning to your home after being on site and keeping your family safe, so please remember to remove any work wear as soon as you get home and wash your hands when leaving site and before you enter your home. Watch this short video, which features our Chief Executive David Thomas, to understand the new measures and changes that have been put in place to help keep you safe. In addition to the extensive health and safety precautions we have put in place on sites, we have launched a social distancing eLearning module for divisional construction, commercial and technical teams. We have also introduced a social distancing eLearning module specifically for sales teams, so please ensure that you complete the module if you have been assigned this in your MyLearning timeline. Keep updated on guidance not only from your Line Manager but also by locating your Health and Wellbeing noticeboard, located on every site, for assistance with any concerns around your health, safety and wellbeing you may have. Please be assured that we are keeping our new working arrangements under constant review, based on the latest government advice, operational needs, ongoing COVID-19 risk assessments, and how the safeguards are working in practice.
Together we stay stronger Working from home With many colleagues now working from home, we have pulled together some resources along with creating a guide to support colleagues as we appreciate this will be a very different experience for each individual. Have you completed your risk assessment? All employees working from home are required to complete a self-assessment in accordance with the SHE Form 74a Risk Assessment so that you can self-determine the suitability and safety of your home work area and any remedial action that needs to be taken. Once the risk assessment has been completed please email this back to your Line Manager. We recently issued a Working from Home Guide, which aims to support you and help reassure you as we all get used to this new way of working. The guide covers a range of areas such as: Mental and physical wellbeing Learning at home Managing your time Taking a break Parenting at home and much more As we have been working from home for longer than originally anticipated, please remember that you can collect any additional equipment you normally use from your place of work (i.e. chair, lumber support, footrest), as deemed necessary to carry out your job and ensure that your home working environment is safe. The divisional offices and GSC will be closed for the foreseeable future, so please take time to review page 16 of the Working from Home Guide as this provides information on how to ensure that your equipment is positioned correctly. If you have any queries relating to the safe set up of your workstation please contact your SHE Manager. It is also important to ensure that you take regular breaks and exercise, visit the NHS website for some exercises that you can do at your home workstation. You can also view an ‘Introduction to Working Remotely’ video provided by our partner, Unum. Look out for updates or visit MyLearning for details of webinars available on topics such as ‘Managing your team's return to work’ and ‘Working remotely’.
Balancing roles - Flexible/agile working We've recently published our new Flexible and Agile Working Policy to support our aims of becoming a more diverse and inclusive employer. It is important that a positive approach to flexible/agile working is embraced at all levels, as it is an integral part of how we operate. We are committed to actively trying to achieve a positive outcome for any requests to work flexibly or in an agile way that meets the needs of both the employee and the company, recognising that the operational requirements of the Company will take precedence and therefore flexible/agile working options will not always be appropriate for all roles. In addition, in order to further help and support employees to achieve positive health and wellbeing and work-life balance we encourage employees whose job enables them to, to work from home where possible. This could potentially be on a permanent basis or for a number of days per week. We recognise and appreciate that for any employees in roles which can be carried out from home, they may also need to spend some time in the office. Any employees who attend their office must strictly adhere to the social distancing and PPE requirements in place.
Together we stay stronger We are aware that for many of us, there are ongoing challenges with life as we come out of lockdown. To help, we are inviting you to connect with others (via Teams), who may be in a similar circumstance to you. This would be an opportunity to share experiences and ideas, offer words of encouragement or simply be reassured that you are not alone. We may not have all the answers on how to make everything great, but maybe, by talking about it, by being open and honest and sharing thoughts and ideas, it will make a difference. We recognise that people are in different circumstances, but some of those circumstances may have more common challenges. Initially we are going to hold a couple of virtual drop in sessions for two groups. The first, called Barratt Parent Connect is for mums and dads of children of any age, as we recognise that working whilst children have not been at school or with normal childcare arrangements for a prolonged period is challenging. The second, called Barratt Connect is for people who are home working and perhaps feeling more isolated, maybe living alone or missing the social interaction of work. It could also be for those who are shielding for health reasons or carers. The sessions will be run as an informal virtual drop in sessions via Teams, with some initial facilitation but no set or rigid meeting agenda. Barratt Parent Connect: Mondays 1-2pm and Fridays 1-2pm Barratt Connect: Tuesdays 1-2pm and Fridays 2-3pm If you would either like more information or to be invited to the drop in session, please email Jo Clay and Becky Nicholls and state which session you would be interested in. You will then be invited to the Teams session so it will be in your calendar and you can then join the session if you want to. jo.clay@barrattplc.co.uk / becky.nicholls@barrattplc.co.uk
Burnout and exhaustion Through the last few months whether you have been furloughed or remained at work, this will have had an impact on your health and wellbeing. You may have been worrying about your job, your family, your health, working long hours, you may have financial worries or be worrying about the future, so it’s not surprising that so many people are struggling with high levels of stress. Our routines have completely changed, and with many working parents now at home with children all day, we are also separated from most of our support networks of family, friends and colleagues. It goes without saying that we are living in stressful times, particularly at present, but failing to manage this stress increases our risk of burnout, which can have long-term negative effects on our mental and physical health and wellbeing. There are things you can do to help: Put boundaries in place to achieve and maintain a work-life balance. Set realistic targets for yourself and be flexible where you can. Prioritising what you need to do will help make things clearer. Don’t criticise yourself if you don’t achieve everything on your to do list.
The Group Talent team continue to offer a range of 45 minute webinars designed to fit around your day, which are available to book via MyLearning. Example topics and learning opportunities are Developing Trust, Motivation and Organisational Skills as well as frequent mindfulness practice sessions. You can also access a wide range of 60 second skills modules and eLearning modules on a range of health and wellbeing topics such as Work-life balance, Switching off from work, The importance of sleep and many more.
Together we stay stronger Help and support If you are struggling with any of the things mentioned in this newsletter, whether that be financial worries, struggling with anxiety or isolation or you just need someone to talk to, there are people at the end of the phone who can help. Please see below contact details for a number of organisations who can offer you professional and confidential support: Employee Assistance Programme: Our EAP providers, Unum LifeWorks, offer someone to talk to independently and in confidence. You can call them freephone on 0800 048 2702 or access tools, information and links on their website (user id: unum password: lifeworks). https://unumuk.lifeworks.com/ Construction Worker Helpline: A free, confidential service for construction workers. Visit their website for further information or call them in confidence on freephone 0808 801 0372 (8am-8pm, 7 days a week). Construction Industry Helpline: The Construction Industry Helpline, is managed and funded by the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity who provide a reactive service to help and support anyone in crisis with mental, financial and physical wellbeing in the industry. The helpline provides a 24/7 safety net for all construction workers and their families in the UK and Ireland. It is a charitable service funded by the industry, for the industry and provides: Emergency financial aid to construction families in crisis. Advice on occupational health and mental wellbeing. Support on legal, tax and debt management matters. Call on 0345 605 1956. You can also download the free app from the App Store or Google Play. The App is aimed at construction workers who would like more information about how they can help themselves or if necessary, take the next step in seeking professional help. The app accesses a major researched library of resources on a vast array of topics and brings them all together in one application. The ‘get help’ function is particularly useful as the built in geo-locator signposts users to support from both national help centres and local support services, relevant to the subject being investigated. Samaritans: Get in touch about anything that’s troubling you, call free on 116123 for 24/7 confidential support or visit their website www.samaritans.org NHS Every Mind Matters: Visit their website to access expert advice and tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing. MIND: The charity provides helpful information, tips and support for anyone who is worried about lockdown easing. Visit their website for more information and to access support. CRUSE bereavement care: A charity offering support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone dies. Visit their website where you can find help, guidance and information on grieving during isolation. You can also contact them via the national free helpline number 0808 808 1677. BrightSky: A free to download mobile app, providing support and information to anyone who may be in an abusive relationship or those concerned about someone they know. Find out more about the app online. Money Advice Service: Provided by the Money & Pensions Service to support people’s money management, help people tackle problem debt and improve people’s financial capability. Their website offers various tools and calculators, plus free confidential advice. Call for free and impartial money advice on 0800 138 7777. A debt adviser will: Treat everything you say in confidence. Give advice about better ways of managing your money. Never judge you or make you feel bad about your situation. Suggest ways of dealing with debts that you might not know about. Always be happy to talk to you, however small or big your problem is. Check you have applied for all the benefits and entitlements available to you. 8/10 people who have used this service say they feel less stressed or anxious, and more in control of their life again.
For information, tools and links on many areas of Health and Wellbeing please visit our My Barratt Benefits website
