01550 760400Wellbeing at Work Week is Tuesday 24 June – Monday 30 June. We spend a lot of time telling you about the young people in our care. This week, we’d like to share a bit more about how we look after each other.
We have a focused programme to support staff wellbeing. Our work is rewarding but it needs a high level of compassion and energy. By offering structured wellbeing initiatives in a variety of different ways we aim to help to improve the health and happiness of our team. Here is a snapshot of what’s on offer:
Small and often - weekly activity groups
If you’ve visited our site, you’ll know we have lots of facilities for learners and residents. These facilities are also available to staff. We run weekly social groups for our team, such as an arts & crafts group, a professional-led gym session and a walking group. These activities run near the end of the working day and give people a chance to do something more informal and sociable with colleagues.
Onsite ‘experience’ sessions
Sometimes we bring an expert to site to run a session. Most recently we welcomed Astrid from Astrid Yoga to run a yoga experience onsite. This was a good opportunity for a relaxing session for our team. There were a few that signed up that had never tried yoga before. They might have been a bit sceptical about the benefits in advance but feedback afterwards was positive.
Team trips – one big day out each year
We surveyed staff to create team trips to suit all. We now have trips three times a year under different themes. This is because a great outing for one person, is a nightmare for another! Our next round of trips are in August and include:
- Lumberjack axe throwing
- A water park
- Afternoon tea
- Motorsport simulation
- A tower climb
Every staff member gets one paid trip each year.
Wellbeing champions for peer-led support
We have 7 wellbeing champions that represent different areas across the organisation. They meet each term to plan activities and to make sure that the activities planned reflect what people want. The wellbeing champions are available to informally support team members.
Benefits package that includes health and wellbeing
Elidyr Communities Trust offers all staff access to an employee healthcare scheme from recommended provider WPA. This gives 24/7 access to an employee assistance programme with confidential counselling, legal and money advice. It also gives discounts on health, fitness, and lifestyle services.
Inspirational speakers – something different
We like to challenge ourselves to new experiences and new thinking – we’ve got inspirational speaker Jermaine Harris coming to talk to our team in August. We can’t wait to see what his session brings!
Opportunities to develop and grow
Professional development is something we offer all our team. This August we have three weeks of training to cover a variety of topics including first aid, epilepsy training, safeguarding and autism awareness. Many people join our team without much experience but learn lots of useful new skills as they progress through the organisation. Some team members have even trained for a teaching qualification as part of their role with us.
All of our Support Workers complete their Level 3 qualification in Health and Social Care and Care Managers complete the Level 5 equivalent. These qualifications are mandatory and our experienced team support staff every step of the way.
If you’d like to join our team, here are some vacancies that might appeal to you. Visit our career homepage to find out more.