WELLBEING
any issues – work or home related – and get the support they need. “What we tend to find is that when people do have problems, they’re not normally work problems,” says Ben. “They’re normally things occurring outside work – the break-up of a relationship, problems with childcare, stress about money problems.” Redgate’s approach is hands-on and focused on prevention, rather than cure. Each department has a people partner who’s there to provide dedicated support for managers. “They’re there to make sure you don’t get to the point where something becomes a problem,” says Ben. “They offer advice so you can talk things through before you speak to someone who may be having difficulties.” For firms that take on this wider, more supportive role, considerable commitment is required. “We’re really aiming to help people climb as high as they can in their careers, but catch them if they fall,” says Alison Hughes, HR director at Cambridge Consultants. For her, the starting point
Though problem-solving is a big part of ensuring employee wellbeing, companies in our area are also packed with imaginative initiatives to challenge and support employees, enhance job satisfaction and are a lot of fun"
was working with a team of business psychologists and around 100 people in the organisation to capture the company’s values. “We know care is a very important value, but we wanted to get that information out to our new starters early on so they understood, although they were joining a relatively large organisation, they were joining a very family-friendly organisation, too.” Cambridge Consultants provides a counselling line – funded by the company – to pick up on mental health and wellbeing issues, and is about to unveil a volunteer team of mental health champions. “They’ll have nothing to do with you in terms of being your line manager or HR, but are there as trained listeners,” says Alison. Where employees have disabilities, the support and attitude of a supportive employer can make a huge difference to their sense of wellbeing. Companies are required by law to make reasonable adjustments, says Ben Lewis. His company, Dyslexia Box, provides workplace adjustments to people with conditions including dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, ADHD and mental health. The goal is to help employers get the right support in place quickly and sensitively. Often, his team will be called in when an employee is struggling and has fallen behind with their work. An assessor will sit with the worker, see where they’re falling behind and suggest ways of putting things right. Solutions can be straightforward. “For someone with dyslexia who is struggling to read emails for example, a simple piece of £50 software can read their emails to them,” he says. Encouragingly, they’re starting to be called in before new staff start with a company, reflecting the fact that people feel more able to talk about their disabilities during the recruitment process. “We provided assessments and got the ball rolling with employers and employees before they started their new positions. This seems to be
when the employee has been open about having a disability – at or around interview stage,” says Ben. Though problem-solving is a big part of ensuring employee wellbeing, companies in our area are also packed with imaginative initiatives to challenge and support employees, enhance job satisfaction and are lots of fun. Take the ‘Feel Good Fund’ team at Redgate. Its remit: helping to improve the wellbeing and fun that people have in the company. “That could be organising punting in Cambridge, a cinema night or a games night – and it goes on throughout the year,” says Ben. There are also yoga and pilates classes, massages and – a highlight of Mental Health Awareness Week – dog therapy – “unsurprisingly fully booked within about half an hour”, adds Ben. At Arm, the FlexPot – introduced two years ago – gives people the freedom to choose their own benefits. In the past few years, these have ranged from art classes to laser eye
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