People Leaders’ Virtual Workplace Wellbeing Course Receives CPD Accreditation

The Wellbeing Leader is proud to announce that our ground-breaking People Leaders’ Virtual Workplace Wellbeing Course has received full accreditation by the internationally recognised CPD Certification Service.  CPD Accreditation is the qualitative benchmark that sets this training apart from other UK workplace wellbeing practitioner training.

The course is designed for people leaders and other senior professionals in SMEs, with specific responsibility for implementing or leveraging wellbeing. It offers full end-to-end training and resources in just 6.5 hours of contact learning time.  The course also sets a new standard in the evolution of workplace wellbeing training to meet the disparate needs of  SMEs that account for 99.9% of the business population (5.9 million businesses) and three fifths of employees in the UK private sector.

Enrolment details of the next training course can be found at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/people-leaders-virtual-workplace-wellbeing-course-tickets-130784073685?aff=erelexpmlt

This is a joint venture between The Wellbeing Leader and PES.

The Wellbeing Leader is interested in collaborating with other third parties interested in developing wellbeing training for SMEs. Please contact Evan Davidge on +44 7961 821995 or email [email protected].

Wellbeing training at the heart of Covid recovery for SMEs

SMEs have disproportionately suffered from the worst excesses of Covid-19 despite Government financial lifelines. Their biggest challenge has been in retaining and managing the physical and mental wellbeing of their employees, whilst dealing with the unpredictability of the economic fallout. Those employers who have put their employees’ wellbeing first have generally fared better than those that have not.

With light at the end of the tunnel through new vaccines, there is now an opportunity for SMEs to leverage wellbeing to provide greater resilience and sustainability against future shocks. Knowing where to start and what to aim for is the biggest challenge for SMEs, as well as lacking the resources and wherewithal to plan a wellbeing framework strategy.

This is where the People Leaders’ Virtual Workplace Wellbeing Course can get your organisation off life support and on the road to recovery in 2021; there are a few places remaining on the next course starting on 7th January 2021.

Further details can be found in the attached article.

People Leaders’ Virtual Workplace Wellbeing Course – 17th-19th November 2020

Are you a senior HR professional or a small business owner planning to introduce a workplace wellbeing programme?  Are you struggling to know where to start with wellbeing, where you need to get to and how you are going to do it?  Do you lack the resources and expertise to set out your vision and direction of travel?  Are you working with a shoestring budget?

Then there is no better time to register for The People Leaders’ Wellbeing Course, a modular and practically led virtual course providing 7 hours of CPD accredited learning, covered in 3 modules, spanning 3 days.  This course will provide you with all the skills, knowledge and tools needed to plan, deliver and maintain a sustainable wellbeing strategy.  The modest fee for the course  will be repaid in spades and provide excellent value in terms of improved productivity and resilience.  This is a course that you simply cannot ignore in the current climate where employers are facing monumental business and reputational risks in protecting their most vital asset – people!

Designed and led by two workplace wellbeing experts – Evan Davidge, The Wellbeing Leader and Debbie Kleiner, Workplace Wellbeing Strategist and Life Coach, Premier Employer Solutions (PES) – you will receive excellent training in bite-sized chunks.

You will also receive free access to babble work a new community and resources hub, which will supercharge your workplace wellbeing strategy.

There are still a couple of spare places remaining with this inaugural course.  Further details and registration can be found at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/people-leaders-virtual-workplace-wellbeing-course-tickets-121531998479

 

The Value of Occupational Health to Work – SOM & Workplace Wellbeing Practitioners Forum

Listening to “The Value of Occupational Health to Workplace Wellbeing (Special Covid-19 Release)” at https://www.buzzsprout.com/957694/3369079. In conversation with Nick Pahl, CEO of the Society of Occupational Medicine. Also on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obUNHXygAus&t=692s. Released as part of the ongoing interview series by the LinkedIn Workplace Wellbeing Practitioners Forum.

Evan Davidge Teams Up with Landsker Business Solutions

Landsker Business Solutions are pleased to announce the appointment of Evan Davidge Chartered FCIPD MBA as an Associate Consultant, specialising in HR total reward and wellbeing management.

Evan brings over 30 years’ experience in reward as a senior specialist and freelancer, where he has handled a wide range of projects in the UK and overseas across the private, public not for profit sectors. He has led on numerous ground-breaking initiatives over this period, which have earned plaudits from industry, including several prestigious awards.

Evan says “I am delighted to be working in partnership with Landsker, especially with their great understanding of business practices and employment markets throughout Wales. I strongly believe that we have complementary skills and knowledge, which will help transform how SMEs and larger businesses recruit, develop, reward and retain their staff throughout their organisations.

Jeremy Bowen Rees, Managing Director of Landsker says, “We are very pleased to have Evan on board; his wealth of knowledge and experience brings a new dimension to our range of innovative Human Resourcing and employment solutions.”

Landsker is located on the Carmarthenshire / Pembrokeshire border and is accredited on more business support programmes than any other organisation in Wales. In November 2019, within the UK Rural Enterprise awards, sponsored by Amazon, Landsker won the accolade of being the Best Professional Services Business in Wales and Northern Ireland. This helps demonstrate that Landsker genuinely understand the business landscape within rural Wales.

If you would like an initial free, no obligation and confidential discussion with Evan please email him at [email protected] or call our offices on 01994 240631. Further details can also be found at www.thewellbeingleader.co.uk

Joint research project undertaken by E-reward and The Wellbeing Leader on workplace wellbeing practice.

The survey digs deeply into workplace wellbeing in terms of key organisational drivers and how wellbeing is structured and resourced. It also asks practitioners to assess their competencies, development needs and career aspirations.

74 organisations participated in survey – from both private and not-for-profit sectors in the UK – representing over 300,000 employees and producing a vast tranche of data.

Infographics – Workplace Wellbeing Practitioners Survey

Society of Occupational Medicine Introduces a Voluntary Code of Wellbeing Practice

The Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) has introduced a self-assessment voluntary code of practice for its members who work as workplace wellbeing practitioners. As a leading professional body focused on occupational health and wellbeing of people at work in the UK and around the world, SOM is committed to upholding the highest professional and ethical standards in its field.

The code is derived from the World Health Organisation’s five keys to healthy workplaces, which it considers are essential to developing healthy workplaces.  This has been translated into professional standards and outcomes by Evan Davidge, a freelance total reward and wellbeing expert.

Nick Pahl, CEO of SOM said:

“SOM welcomes this code to ensure greater consistency of wellbeing professional standards. The SOM Board at their meeting in September 2019 agreed that support for training and development for workplace wellbeing practitioners to acquire relevant professional skills, knowledge and attributes to succeed in their role was essential. It noted that workplace wellbeing professional practitioners could join the SOM and SOM members and potential members could be informed about the code, developed by Evan Davidge and colleagues.”

Evan Davidge explains that workplace wellbeing has emerged as one of the hottest topics in business / people management in recent years, especially with an increasing awareness of its impact on productivity and sustainability. This is exemplified by the UN who has identified that achieving good health and wellbeing behaviours at work and life in general will contribute to the future environmental sustainability of our planet.

Davidge contends that the key challenge is to instill a sustainable culture of wellbeing and behavioural change, but this is where many well-intended initiatives fall at the first hurdle. This is hardly surprising as workplace wellbeing practice is a relatively new discipline that tends to fall between different stools. Indeed, a think-tank – The What Works Centre for Wellbeing – believes that many employers find themselves open to ‘Unregulated markets which are putting a price tag to mitigating wellbeing risks by overselling and misunderstanding its true value in terms of causality, quality and context.” As Davidge points out, this is compounded by a lack of vision and blind obedience to the market.

Davidge adds that:

“The voluntary code is intended to raise professional standards in this field. Many professionals find themselves charged with delivering workplace wellbeing, which is usually a bolt-on responsibility to their day job, with little or no experience and resources. Whilst the Government and industry are starting to pull together to improve standards, there is a long way to go. The World Health Organisation’s five keys to healthy workplaces does provide an appropriate framework, but how it is applied is a different challenge altogether. Hence, the voluntary code is intended to help deliver consistent outcomes in workplace wellbeing practice. It could be the forerunner to developing workplace wellbeing as a separate discipline and I am working with the professional community to adopt the code”.

The Society’s voluntary code of practice can be found at https://www.som.org.uk/sites/som.org.uk/files/Voluntary_code_of_practice_workplace_wellbeing_practitioners_Oct2019.pdf

 

Why ‘Good Work’ is Critical to Future Generations in Wales

Just published by the Forum for Public Policy Wales, my article explains why ‘good work’ is critical to the Wellbeing Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.  The article explores ways of boosting quality work, such as improving income levels through career progression.  It all encourages Public Service Boards to collaborate with business groups and professional bodies, rather than just engaging with communities through public sector agencies.  It prophesises the creation of a whole systems approach to the Act where all employers are invited as partners to create a thriving and prosperous future for Wales.

Go to LinkedIn for a 5 minute read.

Workplace Wellbeing Practitioners’ Forum – LinkedIn

I am pleased to announce the first dedicated Workplace Wellbeing Practitioners’ Forum on LinkedIn.

The Forum is focused on sharing ideas and knowledge on workplace wellbeing practice within strategic, tactical and operational contexts. It is a sounding board for Workplace Wellbeing Practitioners, whatever their primary discipline, to keep abreast of professional training needs and resourcing, as well as to network.

Many practitioners are given responsibility for wellbeing but lack the skills and knowledge to develop a sustainable strategy. Whilst training mitigates this risk to a certain extent, there are limited opportunities, so networking with fellow practitioners is very important.

The Forum will be kept relevant and active with white-papers, articles, webinars, webcasts etc. Practitioners who have attended the Workplace Wellbeing Practitioners’ Course are particularly welcome to join.

Joining the Forum is simple.  Go to the LinkedIn Group page for further information.

 

 

 

 

Why Workplace Wellbeing Should Not Be Like a Christmas Tree

So many workplace wellbeing initiatives come out once a year, sparkle and shine for a few weeks, then disappear for another 11 months. Just like a Christmas tree, they only light up employees’ lives for a short while. How can you make sure your wellbeing strategy, and your mental health initiatives, continue to burn brightly beyond the initial spark?  There is an opportunity to find out more.

At a PES workplace wellbeing conference on 12 September in London, I will explain how to introduce a wellbeing strategy that can ignite your organisation.  Here’s a taster of what you can expect from my session:

1) What does a joined-up and sustainable wellbeing strategy look like?
2) What are your ‘strategic aiming points’ and key principles?
3) How can you measure success? What are the long-term benchmarks?

I will be one of six speakers giving evidence-based ideas on how to make employees happy and productive. You can also look forward to:

Mary Lawrence, Partner, Osborne Clarke
Brian Heyworth, Global Head of Client Strategy, HSBC – why mental health matters
Karen Williams, Chief Financial Officer, Avios Group – a practical case study
Jane Fordham, people, culture and equality consultant – what does diversity and inclusion really mean?
Debbie Kleiner, Head of Workplace Happiness, PES – a 7-step approach to measurable workplace wellbeing
Andrew Drake, Head of Making Friends, PES – using technology for an outstanding employee experience

The event is aimed at business owners and HRDs and will be a great opportunity for peer-to-peer networking.  This is a must-attend event if you wish to introduce a new wellbeing strategy or leverage your existing one.

Spaces are limited, so book your place now at https://www.wearepes.co.uk/why-workplace-wellbeing-shouldnt-be-like-a-christmas-tree/

SPECIAL 2 for 1 Offer – Mastering Wellbeing Practitioners Certificate London – 2nd / 3rd October 2019

THE WORKPLACE WELLBEING PRACTITIONER’S CERTIFICATE | 2-3 October 2019, London

This is a great opportunity to attend a two-day course, bringing along a colleague for free.

The course covers workplace wellbeing in an organisational and international context.  It provides delegates with the knowledge and understanding of environments in which they as practitioners can plan, implement and evaluate wellbeing programmes to support strategic operational goals.
Launched in partnership with e-reward.co.uk our course is structured on the lines of a voluntary code of practice.  We have set core standards and competences based on survey feedback given by workplace wellbeing practitioners. Clear learning outcomes are defined along with a training syllabus, objectives and course content.

Day 1 –  focuses on the strategic, tactical and operational contexts.
Day 2 – largely comprises an interactive group exercise based on a fictitious organisation, pulling together all the learnings from Day 1 experientially. Time will be built into a plenary session, followed by feedback and course evaluation. Finally, delegates will be presented with their course certificates, which is in the process of being CPD accredited.

To ensure that it fits each individual’s needs, delegates will be asked to complete a survey prior to the course to identify their specific knowledge gaps and training requirements. Delivery of the content can then be tailored accordingly.

Don’t hesitate to take advantage of this great 2 for 1 offer. Save £1,000 and deliver real value to your organisation many times over. Further course and registration details can be found here.

Workplace Health & Wellbeing – It’s not the size that matters but the approach

Workplace wellbeing for small businesses – do not miss this opportunity.

Are you a small business owner on a high growth trajectory who wants to eke more out of your key asset – your employees?  Do you want to nurture a thriving work environment where everyone feels and gives their best?  Do you want an organisation where everyone is proud to work for you, they feel emotionally engaged and are generally happy and comfortable in their environment?

Every organisation, whatever its size, has wide-ranging duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to protect the “health, safety and welfare” at work of all their employees on their premises.

Whilst not clearly defined in the legislation, which was written nearly four decades ago, stress and well-being is a fundamental part of this duty.  Indeed, it affects all aspects of working life, from the quality and safety of the physical environment, to how employees feel about their work, their working environment, the culture, their experiences and work organisation. It is increasingly seen as an important factor in attraction, retention and engagement strategies.

The issue for small businesses is that they are the worst performing in terms of employee health outcomes. One-third of SME employees experiencing a mental health problem during their working life (CIPD, Employee Outlook, Focus on Mental Health, July 2016). With 96% of SMEs categorised as ‘micro-businesses’, i.e. employing less than 10 people, the ramifications of stress and well-being are magnified even further.

But this doesn’t have to be the case; there are small things you can do that can make a big impact. For instance, you have much more flexibility and agility to adopt a proactive approach to stress and well-being. Small businesses usually have a “family” community spirit and are much better placed to be in constant tune with their staff; a key advantage over larger companies.

Think of wellbeing as a form of tai chi which is designed to cultivate the qi or life energy of all employees to flow smoothly and powerfully throughout the organisation.  Total harmony of the inner and outer self by every single employees comes from the integration of mind and body, empowered by leaders and practised through a healthy work experience and conditions.

Key steps to managing this stress and wellbeing

There are five simple steps to manage stress and well-being proactively in SMEs, which involve very little resources, but which will deliver very positive outcomes.

1. Start with the end in sight
Firstly, you need to treat stress and well-being as a business imperative rather than a “nice to have”. You should, therefore, think carefully how you are going to create more value from your well-being investment in your people. As a small business owner, you should have quite a strong personal attachment to your people. Focus on instilling a proactive well-being culture, rather than reacting to events that lead to lost productivity and sickness absence. For example, employer sponsored physical activity programmes at work have been found to reduce absenteeism by up to 20% and physically active workers take 27% fewer sick days. (Health, Work and Well-being Programme (2008) Working for a healthier tomorrow. London: The Stationery Office).

2. Define your strategy
Scoping out your strategy is fundamental to the success of your well-being initiatives. Generally, you should focus on four key people ‘needs’ as outlined below:

• Emotional needs: Resilience, mindfulness, stress management and mental health
• Physical needs: Energy, health risks, awareness, nutrition, exercise, sleep
• Financial needs: Security, life planning, retirement, debt management, insurance protection
• Social needs: Belonging, inclusion, togetherness, community, trust, culture

You should then decide what’s within your gift to influence positive stress and well-being outcomes. You don’t need a big budget to make a significant difference. There are a wide range of options that you, as an employer, can offer at little-to-no cost.

Accordingly, you should focus on four key areas: Each of these areas are mutually exclusive, as explained below.

a. Prevention
All the evidence shows that “prevention is better than cure”. So, what positive steps can you take to help your people improve their behaviours and take more responsibility for their well-being? A good place to start is to look at yourself in the mirror and question if you are setting the right tone by your own well-being mind-set and behaviours. What steps can you take to be a role model and create a positive workplace where there is high awareness and engagement with stress and well-being initiatives? Supporting a healthy workforce means, for example, that you should refrain from working crazy hours, emailing employees on the weekend or constantly checking your work smartphone when on vacation. Managers that practice self-care show employees that they should be prioritising their well-being as well.

b. Support
Keeping on top of stress and well-being is a challenge for small businesses, but you must be sensitive to this. For example, are you expecting your people to constantly ‘jump through hoops’, with limited organisation, resources and direction? Do you understand what is driving/motivating them, and the stimulus they need to have a good work experience? What can you do to help them if personal concerns are affecting their ability to perform? Do you have good self-awareness and are attuned to your people’s inner needs and feelings? Remember though that employees will feel less inclined to reveal any health and well-being issues if it is perceived as taboo in the workplace and there is a lack of trust and openness by management. Privacy must always be respected, but where an employee is not performing to their best, then it is quite reasonable to hold a conversation with them.

c. Working environment
When you look at your working environment, it’s not just about the physical surroundings but the emotional, spiritual and social cohesion that it cultivates. Your people must feel safe and secure in their workplace as well as being able to experience a strong sense of belonging, purpose, ethos and culture. Exercising effective leadership, a “fun” culture and collaboration make for a good start.

d. Networking
As a small business owner, you do not have to go it alone. There are likely to be many other local business owners in the same boat who have a wish to share ideas and best practice. Social enterprises such as Business in the Community – The Prince’s Responsible Business Network – Chambers of Commerce and Trading Bodies help progressive businesses of all sizes to make the connection between well-being and prosperity of business and society.

3. Consult and engage with your people

Talking about stress and well-being is the most immediate step you can take, whether self-employed or a small business owner. Understanding your people’s attitudes towards well-being and how your workplace can shape enablers and interventions is vital. More importantly, your people must feel that they are part of the well-being journey and be able to influence its direction and outcomes. So, it is important to encourage ideas and suggestions about working practices, health initiatives etc to get your people on board from the outset. For example, making simple workplace adjustments, offering flexible working hours, recognising birthdays and work anniversaries and ensuring that your employees take a lunch break are all cost-effective, quick wins that start to sow the seed.

4. Seek external support and advice

The reality is that designing a stress and well-being initiative usually requires expertise and experience beyond the skill sets of those employed within a small business. Don’t be afraid to bring in outside help. It makes good business sense for you to select dedicated experts to ensure your initiative succeeds.

There are many national charities or agencies such as Acas, Mind, Time to Change, Macmillan, Samaritans, Public Health England / Wales / Scotland etc, who are prepared to support small businesses, including the Forum of Private Businesses.

Also, the Government’s Fit for Work programme provide support on workplace health to GPs, employers and employees. The Fit for Work team understands the barriers smaller organisations face when it comes to addressing employee health.

5. Measure success

The long-term success of any health and well-being programme will ultimately come down to organisational culture, and the attitude, determination and conviction of those at the top. There is no “one size fits all”. It is about finding the solution that works for you and your team. You might not get it right first time, but rest assured, it will be worth it when you do.

There’s also another simple adage “that you can’t manage on what you can’t measure”. It doesn’t have to be rocket science – but even in the absence of any meaningful data – you will have a gut feeling if your investment is working or not.

About the Article

This article was written and adapted by The Wellbeing Leader as a contribution to the CIPD People Skills Hub, an essential new HR and people management resource for small businesses, accessible at https://peopleskillshub.cipd.co.uk/.

About the Author
Evan Davidge is an independent HR consultant specialising in total reward and wellbeing. He has over 20 years’ consultancy experience, delivering insights and solutions to many organisations in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Evan is an Associate tutor, examiner and adviser to the CIPD where he holds Chartered status. He is also founder of The Wellbeing Leader.

E-Reward Financial Wellbeing Debut Showcase 2019

I’m delighted to be chairing and leading one of Europe’s biggest conferences dedicated exclusively to financial wellbeing. Responding to huge demand from comp & ben professionals, E-reward is pleased to announce its debut financial wellbeing conference in London on 3rd April 2019.

Recent joint research E-Reward and The Wellbeing Leader has shown that more than half of employers still do not provide financial wellbeing.  This is predominantly with SMEs who employ 15.7 million workers; 60% of all private sector employment in the UK.  This small scale survey contrasts with more extensive work undertaken by a team of our top reward researchers who have been analysing the financial wellbeing sector in Europe and the United States. Drawing on this E-reward sponsored research, we have put together an unmissable one-day event that covers absolutely everything you need to know about financial wellbeing and be on the cutting-edge of this rapidly emerging field.

Don’t delay. Apply for your guest ticket now. The event is expected to be heavily over-subscribed.

http://owl.li/gY9q30mM6Ob

Workplace Wellbeing Practitioners’ Survey

Attention all Workplace Wellbeing Practitioners

We are excited to launch the first Workplace Wellbeing Practitioners’ Survey, a joint research initiative from The Wellbeing Leader and E-Reward.co.uk.

Here is a real opportunity to take part in a unique new research survey for workplace wellbeing practitioners, which can help to shape and define the future of this emerging function and profession.

This survey will be of interest to people who have responsibility for influencing or contributing to workplace wellbeing at an operational, tactical or strategic level. It is particularly suitable if you are seeking to leverage workplace wellbeing in your organisation, as well as having a say in developing your career in the field.

Who should take part in the survey?

The survey is open to any in-house practitioner who has responsibility or some form of influence with wellbeing in a UK-based organisation with at least 50 employees.

Take part to enter a £200 John Lewis prize draw.  All participants will be entered into a prize draw to win a £200 John Lewis electronic gift card.

Please click here to start the survey.

Why is there a need for this research?

The World Economic Forum cites organisational health as one of the Top 10 trends that will impact the global economy in coming years. Indeed leading academics forecast that organisational health will one day surpass all other disciplines in business as the greatest opportunity for improvement and competitive advantage.

Against that background, many organisations are putting in place their workplace wellbeing propositions, with HR and/or Occupational Health invariably finding themselves thrust into leading and developing the strategy. Often this is a bolt-on to their day jobs, where they face a steep learning curve with little or no expertise.

While wellbeing advisers/providers plug this gap to some extent, the market is bewildering and fragmented to an unlearned wellbeing practitioner. This often leads to situations where “solutions” drive strategy, and they don’t really get into the deeper cultural and behavioural aspects of wellbeing that underpin a holistic, proactive and transformational approach.

What does this research cover?

This comprehensive survey digs deep into workplace wellbeing in terms of the key organisational drivers and how wellbeing is structured and resourced. It is also asks practitioners to assess their competencies, development needs and career aspirations.

How long will the survey take to complete?

You should allow about 10-15 minutes to complete the survey.

Will I receive a copy of the survey findings?

All participants will receive a complimentary copy of the survey report later this year. But please note, the survey is confidential and all responses will be analysed anonymously.

Who are the researchers?

The research is a joint initiative between E-reward.co.uk and The Wellbeing Leader.

How do I start?

Please click here to start the survey. Please note the survey will be open until Friday 26th April.

 

Thank you for your time.

 

Evan Davidge

The Wellbeing Leader