Over the coming months we’ll be focusing on key areas of workplace wellbeing. Breaking each one down and providing information and resources that you’ll hopefully find useful in developing the wellbeing offer for your own organisations staff and volunteers.

This month our focus is on culture.

CharityJob as part of their Benefits Report 2023 found that ‘organisation culture and organisation mission/purpose stood out in particular… While salary is a key factor in their job choices, CharityJob candidates also aspire to work for a cause they’re passionate about, in a positive and supportive working environment.’

The culture we develop in our workplaces to support and protect our staff and volunteers is crucial to the delivery of high standard services.

We know that working in the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector comes with challenges, capacity, funding, we are being pulled in different directions and often fighting to keep our heads above water in an ever-changing environment.

As stated in the Ecclesiastical 2023 Charity Risk Barometer. ‘Charity workers are exhausted. Doing more with less leads to physical and psychological stress. Seven in ten (70%) of our charity leaders are more concerned about employee burnout now than they were 12 months ago.

Nearly two fifths (38%) of charity leaders are more concerned with managing the health and safety of staff, volunteers and service users than they were a year ago. 

“In these challenging times, when we need our volunteers more than ever, it is incredibly important that volunteers are given appropriate support and have healthy boundaries in place, to protect against burnout. Volunteers should be intentional in their own self-care and wellness practices, to safeguard their mental health and wellbeing.” Claire Russell, Founder and CEO, Mental Health in Business

When we are caught in the outward facing cycle of funding finding and delivery it can be extremely difficult to look inward. To consider things like organisational culture, staff wellbeing, training and policy.

Without creating time to do this looking inward we risk losing experienced, vital staff and volunteers.

So how do we build a positive culture of wellbeing for our workplace?

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: Has senior leaders support for workplace wellbeing / mental health support

• Is your full senior team and trustees fully on board? Culture needs the support of everyone at all levels.
• Will they invest time and resource in this area?
• Are they role-modelling this positive wellbeing culture?

Standard 2: Informs staff and volunteers about commitment to workplace wellbeing

• Communication about the offer and expectation for a culture of positive wellbeing within the organisation is clear and consistent.
• Wellbeing becomes part of everyday working practices e.g. induction, team meetings, appraisals.

Standard 3: Encourages staff and volunteers to ask for help and support if needed

• Clear guidance as part of induction so staff know who they can turn to for support e.g. line manager, peers, mental health first aiders or wellbeing champions.
• Include a questions about wellbeing in your 1-1 process.
• Employee Assistance Programme offer is relevant communicated to all staff.

Standard 4: Uses positive messages in communications about wellbeing

• Have consistent internal communications so that staff feel part of a cohesive team and can be used to share messages about wellbeing.
• Wellbeing is for everyone; this needs to be clear and consistent messaging. All levels of employees and volunteers should have access to some wellbeing support.

Standard 5: Set clear expectations and responsibilities in Job/Role Descriptions

• As part of induction and is job specific documentation boundaries and expectations in terms of maintaining a positive wellbeing culture should be made clear – as set out by your own organisation.
• The work and achievements of staff and volunteers are recognised and staff know that they are valued.

One keyway to start open conversations around wellbeing and mental health is to encourage senior employees to speak out about their own mental health and wellbeing, to lead by example. When even just a few people begin to discuss their wellbeing, it cultivates a more open and honest workplace culture where people feel more comfortable discussing their mental health.

Conversations can be started at an organisation-wide level, but also on an individual level, and Q&A panels, group discussions, and peer-led wellbeing groups can also help to facilitate this. Giving people the time and space to discuss any mental health issues they may be facing with wellbeing leads, HR, or other appropriate departments is also vital.

Resources

• The Mental Health at Work Commitment from Mind - This framework sets out 6 clear standards based on what best practice has shown is needed to make a difference. Using these, you can create an environment where employees can thrive. Each standard has a set of actions that help you achieve the commitment. 
• Workplace Wellbeing Guides from The Anti-Burnout Club - At this website you can download free resources to start your workplace wellbeing journey.‍
• Workplace Wellbeing Checklist from Altruist - This website has a free wellbeing checklist for organisations to map how you are doing and where areas may need more work.
• Positive Teams: Recruitment, Retention and Wellbeing from Benefact Group - This resource looks at positive teams.
• West Yorkshire Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub - An incredible resource to signpost your team to in your internal communications. All the services and support they offer through are available to everyone working in the health and wellbeing sector, including VCSE organisations, whether you are a paid member of staff or a volunteer.

We'll be sharing Part 2 of the Toolkit then, and releasing a downloadable resource once we've released each part. See you then!