Staff
Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2018 - 2021
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College Context for Our Strategy Our Strategy Statement General Context for Our Strategy Legal Case Business Case Our Promises to Staff 1. Work Promises 2. Values and Principles 3. Collective and Social Promises 4. Personal Growth Promises 5. Health Promises Roles and Responsibilities in Developing the Strategy
College Context for Our Strategy In 2011, the college published a ‘People Strategy’ for the period 2011-2014 which set out how we meant to encourage and support staff in what they did, as well as how we would improve the environment in which they work. A revision to this strategy for the period 20152018 was put on hold to allow due consideration to the outcomes of the workload process reviews undertaken in Spring/Summer 2016. Furthermore, the revised mission, vision, values and 10 promises from April 2017 provides a fresh context to publish a revised strategy that more specifically addresses the need to focus on staff wellbeing relative to stress, mental and physical health relative to the general context outlines in this document.
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Our Strategy Statement Worthing College aims to embed a concern for health and wellbeing throughout the organisation. We are committed to:
• Promoting healthy lifestyle choices • Providing a range of services which improve the physical, mental and sexual health and wellbeing of our students and staff • Empowering individuals with the knowledge and understanding to make informed choices about their physical and mental health, wellbeing and safety, and reducing risk-taking behaviour • Engaging the whole college community in developing and implementing our mental health strategy for students • Developing effective partnerships with specialist local, regional and national organisations • Collecting and reporting on appropriate data relating to staff and student wellbeing, and identify actions required to further promote health and wellbeing • Conducting an annual risk assessment of the management of workplace stress and incorporating preventative and remedial actions into the annual college plan • Conduct a review of the strategy every three years
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This strategy recognises the Health and Safety Executive’s definitions of the following terms throughout:
“ Work related stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work.”
“ Anxiety is an unpleasant feeling when you feel worried, uneasy or distressed about something that may or may not be about to happen.”
“ Mental health is how we think, “Common mental health feel and behave.”
“Depression is when you have feelings of extreme sadness, despair or inadequacy that last for a long time.”
problems are those that are most frequent, more prevalent and are successfully treated in primary care settings; like GPs rather than by specialists such as Psychiatrists”
The strategy also recognises that we are all individual and we will all respond differently to individual situations and keeping the individual at the heart of our strategy is key to its success.
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General Context for Our Strategy
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The Legal Case: Like all employers, the college recognises its legally binding duties to tackle stress:
• Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999: - To assess the risk of stress-related ill health arising from work activities • Under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974: - To take measures to control that risk The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) expects organisations to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for stress, and to take action to tackle any problems identified by that risk assessment. They also set Management Standards to define the characteristics, or culture, of an organisation where the risks from work related stress are being effectively managed and controlled. The Management Standards cover six key areas of work design that, if not properly managed, are associated with poor health and wellbeing, lower productivity and increased sickness absence. In other words, the six Management Standards cover the primary sources of stress at work. These can be found here: HSE Management Standards.
The Business Case: Research has shown work-related stress to have adverse effects for organisations in terms of:
• Employee commitment to work • Staff performance and productivity • Staff turnover and intention to leave • Attendance levels
• Staff recruitment and retention • Customer satisfaction • Organisational image and reputation • Potential litigation
We must recognise the impact that work-related stress could have on our staffing community as a whole and in individual teams. For example, losing one colleague for an extended period with a stress-related illness can have a dramatic impact on the workload and morale of the rest of the team. By taking action to tackle the causes of stress in the college as a workplace, we can prevent or reduce the impact of these problems on our college community and beyond.
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Our Promises to Staff The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) presents a wellbeing model which identifies five inter-related domains of employee wellbeing, guided by the principle that an effective employee wellbeing strategy needs to go far beyond a series of standalone initiatives. The CIPD model is depicted opposite and amplified in the link here: Amplification of the CIPD Wellbeing Model The CIPD suggest that ‘there’s no ‘one-sizefits-all’ approach to designing a health and wellbeing strategy; its content should be based on the organisation’s unique needs and characteristics. We recognise that our health and wellbeing strategy needs to acknowledge not only the physical and psychological factors affecting health and wellbeing, but the wider cultural and societal factors too. Consequently, activities to implement our strategy are incorporated in a ‘Promises’ model constructed to reflect the CIPD wellbeing model as set out in the following section.
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Individual
Organisation
5. Health
4. Personal Growth
1. Work
Wellbeing
2. Values/ Principles
3. Collective/ Social
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1. Work Promises: • Facilitate phased returns to work following sick leave as appropriate in meeting the health and wellbeing needs of staff in accord with the college’s Absence and Leave Policy. • Integrate Team Time in all CDD Days to ensure that individuals can plan, monitor and review their work practices collectively within their recognised teams. Whilst at the same time include in College Development Days development opportunities to support staff in their responsiveness to the guidance themes of “Effective Learner/ Safe Learner/Employable Learner”. • Optimise the use of the Curriculum Resourcing Modelling/Annual Curriculum Forum and Directed Time Policy implementation to plan effectively to minimise staff workload. And to honour PPA in the timetable and calendar for teaching staff and ensure the college calendar is published in the Summer Term prior to the start of the next academic year. • Access to CAMHS support line and Integrated Prevention Earliest Help service links for staff working with mental health issues amongst students, maintain ‘Supervision’ discussions with the Safeguarding Team and ensure that there is a Staff Performance Management focus on stress, mental and physical wellbeing – guidance for interim and final SPMs. • Training and development opportunities for managers in supporting staff with mental health problems, including dissemination of the following guidance from the Health and Safety Executive: Manage Mental Health
2. Values and Principles: • To listen carefully to the voice of staff through staff briefings, staff meetings, staff performance management discussions, union/ management meetings, staff feedback forms, the bi-annual Staff Survey and establishment of staff consultation process and/or working groups for new initiatives or significant changes in workload practices and/or policy. • Integrate 5* Awards in recognising individuals and teams of staff and their contribution to our community.
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3. Collective and Social Promises: • Introduce a half termly ‘Email Free Day’ in the college calendar, whilst being sensitive to the business continuity needs of the college. • Develop a social events calendar for whole staff community engagement to maintain a sense of community and maintain and encourage use of a staffroom facility to bring people together from across the college. • Offer a Buddy/Mentoring System for new staff and conduct an annual ‘Look out for me / Time to Change’ Campaign in the Spring Term.
4. Personal Growth Promises: • Promote and consider carefully the availability of Work Sabbaticals. • Recognise and be sensitive to the need for Compassionate Leave in accord with college’s Absence and Leave policy. • Ensure the Business Continuity Plan recognises a demonstrable process to guide management responsiveness to personal bereavement or trauma.
5. Health Promises: • Work with Adur and Worthing Wellbeing HUB to offer Wellbeing MOTs for signposting support for general health conditions including diabetes, eating disorders and drug and alcohol abuse. Whilst also maintaining a Healthy Living Day in the college calendar to include stress resilience workshops, advice and guidance on mental health and general health conditions. • Support and Promote the Cycle to Work Scheme, benefits of walking and cycling as a feature of our Travel Plan. • Support and Promote the Benenden Scheme. • Promote the Education Support Partnership guides and 24hr free and confidential helpline for anyone working in education – Tel: 08000 562 561 11
12 Ways to boost your wellbeing
KNOW YOUR WARNING SIGNS
PURSUE HAPPINESS
Find the time to see those people, go to that gig and so on
KEEP A JOURNAL
This will help you decide what is working for you and what isn’t
IMPROVE YOUR DIET
Some foods can leave us feeling sluggish. Remember: the five-a-day rule is for grown-ups too!
MOVE MORE
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wellbeing?
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MASTER YOUR MINDFULNESS
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Here are 12 tips for a healthier, happier you
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HAVE DAILY QUIET TIME
Read, meditate,
your immediate demands – even if for a few minutes
Carrying on regardless isn’t good for you or your pupils
The relationship we have with ourself has the greatest influence on our wellbeing at work
Walk, run or dance your way through the working day
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TAKE POSITIVE ACTION
How can you tell that
COLLABORATE ON CPD Share a culture of perpetual improvement with colleagues
Focus on your bodily sensations and bring yourself into the present moment
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EXPLORE THE EXISTING RESEARCH New wellbeing techniques are being developed all the time
GET OUTSIDE EVERY DAY
Walk, cycle, run – whatever makes you feel good
CONNECT WITH THOSE YOU TRUST Family, friends and colleagues perspectives
Source: Optimus Education, www.optimus-education.com, December 2015
Roles and Responsibilities in Delivering the Strategy Governors Monitor and evaluate the implementation and impact of the strategy through the annual risk assessment, college plan and bi-annual survey of staff, staff governors and governor link scheme. The Principal and SMT Approval, communication and implementation of the strategy and embedding in related policies and any subsequent updates and college plan actions from the annual workplace stress risk assessment through induction and cross college communication channels, including the college website, staff blog, union and management meetings, whole staff meetings and staff briefings as appropriate. The Health and Safety Co-ordinator Co-ordination of the annual workplace stress risk assessment in conjunction with the Health and Safety/Environment Groups, and to implement, monitor and review planned actions and responses to health, safety and wellbeing concerns raised through staff feedback. The Human Resources Manager Co-ordination of the bi-annual staff survey and union and management meetings, health and wellbeing activities and College Development Days, Counselling Service, Cycle to Work Scheme and Benenden Scheme. All Managers To implement relevant policy and guidance and participate in training and development activities in supporting staff with stress, mental and physical health issues. All Staff Participate in training and development and health and wellbeing activities organised by the college. Engage in discussions with their line managers in Staff Performance Management meetings and ongoing about stress, mental and physical wellbeing relative to the guidance provided for interim and final Staff Performance Management meetings. Furthermore, to actively engage in feedback processes, planned discussions and working groups to address developments to support staff with stress, mental and physical health issues.
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Designed and produced by the Worthing College Marketing Team. All information correct at time of publishing. January 2018
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