We’re developing a Workplace Wellbeing Toolkit designed for VCSE organisations (community groups, charities, social enterprises and not-for-profits). It focuses on key areas of workplace wellbeing, guiding you through resources and local offers that can support your organisation

This month our focus is on training.

What training do you need?

The training and development needs of your staff and volunteers will very much depend on their roles and responsibilities. Staff may have mandatory training to complete to perform their role, but you may also have optional training for staff and volunteers if they want to develop their skills, competencies and confidence.

Wellbeing at work is a holistic approach as defined by Science insights: “Employee health and wellbeing is an umbrella term for how workers are doing across every dimension of their lives that work touches: physical health, mental health, financial stability, social connection, and sense of purpose. It goes beyond traditional workplace wellness programs, which tend to focus narrowly on physical fitness or disease prevention and instead recognises that a person’s ability to thrive at work depends on all these factors working together.”

Training fits into a broad approach to wellbeing, giving people the right tools to do their job, which improves morale while driving higher standards of delivery at your organisation. It’s a valuable investment in your team.

An important initial step of any training programme is to involve staff in identifying what training they need and what training would support them as part of their wellbeing. Some of your team might struggle to identify their training needs, but this isn’t a reason to cross training off your to-do list. You can support them by having a regular prompt in their 1-1s, when staff are already thinking about what went well recently and what could have been improved, and getting a good understanding of what is impacting your staff and volunteers’ wellbeing through surveys, 1-1s and informal discussions.

Here are some suggestions of what training could cover:

• Topics directly related to wellbeing e.g. stress in the workplace.
• Skills related to their role, building confidence so staff feel more capable. This could focus on staff progression and sustainability planning of the team, which is why it can be helpful to think of training as a ‘programme’ that works towards a clear outcome, rather than individual sessions.
• Sessions for managers and leaders to work on their management skills, feel comfortable supporting staff wellbeing and understand compassionate leadership.
• Topics that link back to workplace culture and values, to help staff understand how to implement this and make sure all staff and volunteers feel welcome and supported e.g. training on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Training is always a work in progress, so it’s something to revisit consistently. This can be done on a budget by using the range of free offers that are available to you as a VCSE organisation, we’ll cover some options below.

What to consider for your policy and practices

In our VCSE Workplace Wellbeing Toolkit, we’ve created some basic standards for you to consider when building a more positive workplace wellbeing culture. We’ve also collated some ideas and resources to support implementation.

Standard 1: References wellbeing support in induction training

• Integrate wellbeing into relevant training, particularly for new starters.
• Is your offer clearly communicated to staff? Share information on your wellbeing ‘offer’ and details about how training is part of this.

Standard 2: Provides training for line managers

• Implement required training for anyone responsible for managing staff or volunteers.
• Support line managers to implement positive practices learnt from their training.

Standard 3: Integrates wellbeing into training for staff and volunteers

• How does training link to your wellbeing strategy?
• Do you have a workforce development plan to ensure staff receive appropriate and adequate training & development input for their roles?

Standard 4: Has a clear process for requesting training

• What is the process for your organisation? Is there a training budget for staff, and how does this link to your workforce development plan?

Standard 5: Gathers feedback on training and training needs

• Evaluation of training and development should also be considered so you can gather feedback on effectiveness and impact.

Resources

• ‍Free Training Modules from Conexus E-Portal – including ‘new to leadership’ pathway.
• Training for VCSE Organisations from Nova’s Training Page – often free, wide range of topics. Newsletter to get regular updates of current opportunities.
• Training from your EAP or HR provider - if this applies to your organisation. Don't worry if not, there are plenty of free options available.
• Advice on Employee Health and Wellbeing from CIPD
• Resources and Webinars from CIPD – range of resources and specific webinars.

Next up in the Toolkit is Engagement, which we’ll be sharing soon followed by a downloadable resource that brings together each part.

Go to Culture, Part 1 of the VCSE Workplace Wellbeing Toolkit

Go to Policy & Practice, Part 2 of the VCSE Workplace Wellbeing Toolkit