Employer Engagement in FE: A research project from Runshaw College
AuthorJen DeakinCategoriesTeaching, Leadership
Every member of staff matters
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Date5th Jul 2021AuthorKam RogersonCategoriesLeadership
Every leader understands the value of their staff. A happy and healthy (both physically and mentally) staff have less absenteeism and are more positive and more productive in their day to day working lives.
At Huddersfield New College, as in all Colleges, promoting the health and well-being of our staff has always been a priority, but has become our top strategic priority as a result of the pandemic. Our strategy is called ‘You Matter @ HNC’. The ‘You Matter @ HNC’ strategy has 5 pillars:
- Healthy Work life Balance
- Emotional Mental Health & Well-being
- Financial Well-being
- Physical Health & Well-being
- Safe Environment
It is driven forward by myself and a volunteer Staff Well-Being Group. This volunteer group, drawing in staff from all levels across the College, means that what we do to promote the health and well-being of our staff is genuinely ‘led from below’ and reflects what our staff want. This is perhaps the biggest factor in the success of our strategy.
It has led to some great successes. For example, our onsite Costa Coffee and Starbucks have remained closed over the course of the pandemic. Staff, we are told, have therefore really missed access to ‘decent’ coffee onsite. We now provide ‘decent’ coffee free via a Nespresso machine located in the Staff Room, which staff can enjoy with the free biscuits provided too! This small change has made so many staff across the college very happy.
We have also revamped the Staff Room and have re-branded it as the Staff Well-Being Room. It is an oasis of calm. A space to pause and to take a deep breath. More staff are now using this space for this purpose, which is of incredible importance in a world that is currently so stressful.
For us as a College, we have learned that a planned programme of staff health and well-being activities throughout the year is the best way to engage staff, as they can plan their engagement into their busy working lives. Much of this activity since March 2020 has been remote.
Some of our most popular health and well-being activities include:
- Creative activities: Christmas wreath making , flower arranging, cookery classes, art classes, a ‘growing’ club
- Physical activities: staff badminton, yoga, Zumba, a running group, a walking group
- Strava challenges, with prizes! This year we have travelled from Huddersfield, UK to Huddersfield, Jamaica and from Halifax, UK to Halifax, Australia.
- Competitions, with prizes! This year we have had a ‘guess the staff baby’ competition, a ‘staff face mash up’ competition, locate the Easter bunny and locate the naughty Christmas elf competitions. Hotel Chocolat chocolates have been fantastically popular prizes!
- A positivity playlist (chosen by staff) before the weekly staff briefing
- Celebrating special occasions (big birthdays, the birth of a child, an engagement, a wedding, completing a Masters qualification etc.) with a bottle of fizz or chocolates
- A dedicated Staff Well-Being Day in the annual calendar
We have also invested in the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), which provides staff with access to confidential counselling, stress management tips, support with family issues, and even support with legal issues. For staff who do not wish to seek more formal well-being support, there are new Staff Well-Being Champion who offer a listening ear to fellow staff.
Our ‘You Matter @ HNC’ bulletin, published monthly in Staff News, keeps staff health and well-being high on everyone’s agenda. This year, a different department each month has taken responsibility for producing this bulletin and sharing health and well-being tips and advice with their colleagues. Here is my health and well-being advice from the SLT edition of ‘You Matter @ HNC’.
Whilst some of the activities to support our strategy have required a small amount of expenditure, this small expenditure has paid enormous dividends. Our absenteeism rate at College is the lowest it has ever been and staff comment that there has always been something to smile about during this ever changing and incredibly stressful pandemic situation.
To any College looking to enhance its’ staff well-being strategy, I would highly recommend pulling together a dedicated Cross College Staff Well-Being Group. These are genuinely your well-being experts, and the ones who will make sure that your message about the importance of well-being is communicated to all.
Below, some of these staff give their views on Staff Well-Being at HNC – please pause and take a moment out of your busy day to watch!
https://animoto.com/play/fP5sllctUBx9tn2XfBtyzA
Kam Rogerson is Assistant Principal at Huddersfield New College and the strategic lead for Staff Well-Being.
Some images of staff wellbeing activities at HNC are below. On the left, the principal of the college makes pancakes.