Embedding wellbeing at work NHS Digital case study
Jo Bland, head of strategic engagement and internal communications at NHS Digital, explains how authentic conversations and social activities support communications colleagues’ wellbeing. We tell people that it’s OK not to be OK Conversations about wellbeing have been alive in our profession for a while now. Communications can often feel at the pointy end of corporate roles, so we wanted to see what more we could do to look after each other. Then, of course, came Covid. Working in healthcare we have to prepare for incidents and had taken the precaution of thinking through some scenarios. That foresight helped us as a communications team put in place some business plans. But, like so many others, we still had the challenge of our normal ways of office-based working being switched to home-based working overnight.
Physically distant, socially close Our approach relied on close collaboration – everything we did was founded on a great HR approach. Our HR team boosted support for mental health and wellbeing, and introduced a series of policy easements aimed at minimising the pressures that colleagues undoubtedly would feel with changes to their lives. It’s been a tough and hectic time, and we’ve tried hard to acknowledge that in the comms team. We don’t profess to have all the answers though. Managers have tried to make a concerted effort to write to our comms colleagues personally to let everyone know ‘It’s OK not to be OK’. We’ve looked to regularly share links to useful information, such as details about our mental health first aiders and employee assistance programme. The message we want our comms colleagues to hear is: talk to us, talk to a colleague, talk to a friend, talk to a specialist, but don’t struggle alone. We have a long-standing improvement plan in place, aimed at making communications a better place to work, and we run a quarterly pulse survey for our comms colleagues, who work across all communication specialisms. We’ve included questions about wellbeing before, but from March it was more important than ever to understand how people are feeling.
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The survey confirmed to us that people are missing the sociability that comes with working in the office. The simple act of just wandering past someone’s desk and having a chat. We wanted to find a way to fill that gap, and create the unity and social support that people were looking for. As comms people, they’re not short of creativity. During periods of lockdown and regional restrictions, teams held coffee and tea breaks on Microsoft Teams. We started a ‘virtual pub’ for after-work drinks, whether it was a cup of tea or a glass of wine. It was optional though as we know it’s not for everyone and we know people have other demands to handle as well. Some teams held quizzes, others hosted murder mystery evenings online and some simply had themed team meetings – there’s no one size fits all. When we were dealing with such intensity, both in delivering our ‘day jobs’ and existing in such an extraordinary time, opportunities like these gave us time pause, be sociable together and have a chat – about anything and nothing. Because we were all at home, we couldn’t have our usual organisation away day. So we held a team-wide ‘No-way day’. It had a mixture of business and fun elements. Everything was recorded so you could dip in and out, and watch back later if you needed to. As part of the day we had ‘sense and sense-ability’ sessions. People shared the interests that were helping them cope with an altered world. One colleague broadcast from their kitchen, showing us how to make honeycomb. Another ran an art class and someone else broadcast from their garden with tips for a scented garden. Our associate director is a part-time DJ so he did a set sharing music that was helping him!
Be brave We’re not the perfect role models, but we’ve tried our best to support wellbeing in our team. Like everyone, we’re learning as we go, so more than ever we need to listen to our colleagues and use their insight. You may find out what the problems are, although not necessarily the solutions. We’re listening to what people might like to take forward from this, what they’d prefer to let go of and how they’d like to be included. We’ve heard from our colleagues that mental health and wellbeing shouldn’t be a one-time focus. It needs to be a constant conversation because it’s been a long time not seeing each other and we’re trying hard to remind people about the support that’s available. And finally don’t be frightened. At first, I wasn’t really keen on talking about how I was feeling, but I think it’s important to share things about yourself and say: ‘You know what, it’s a bit tough for me at the moment’. We need to be a bit braver and open up the conversation. This is a unique situation and we’re still learning, but we’re committed to making our comms team at NHS Digital a great place to work. After all, what we do matters and our people are at the heart of what we do.
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Profile Company: NHS Digital What we do: We’re the national information and technology partner to the health and social care system Who we employ: c2,500 people, with our headquarters in Leeds Our approach in a nutshell: Lead by example – leaders and managers should actively champion mental health and wellbeing support, and encourage open and authentic conversations Maintain your community – create opportunities for social interactions to help people build social and support networks at work Listen to your people – make sure you regularly check in to see how people are feeling so you can offer the right support
Jo’s top tip “During lockdown, I found having a routine was really important for my wellbeing. My daughter and I would get up, get sorted and start the day by 8am. We’d have lunch and tea breaks at the same time each day. It stopped us feeling overwhelmed and drifting. And for general wellbeing, I’ve become quite obsessive about exercise. It just lets you switch off.”
For more resources and guidance around supporting mental health and wellbeing in your workplace, visit the CIPR website: https://cipr.co.uk/CIPR/Our_work/Policy/Mental_Health.aspx
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