Freelance

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Jamie Hailstone is a freelance journalist and author, who has also contributed to numerous national business titles including Utility Week, the Municipal Journal, Environment Journal and consumer titles such as Classic Rock.
June 15, 2018

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Wellbeing

What a difference an hour can make…

Imagine having an hour in your working week to take part in some form of wellbeing activity and getting paid for it.

For civil servants in Wales that dream is now a reality, thanks to a deal agreed last year between the Welsh Government and the Prospect, PCS and FDA civil service unions.

Since the beginning of this year, all staff are now allowed to take a “wellbeing hour” of up to 60 minutes’ additional break a week to pursue activities that support their wellbeing.

The hour can be broken up and spread over the week in any pattern or added to lunch breaks or taken at the beginning or end of the day, as long as it is between the working hours of 7am and 7pm and contributes their wellbeing.

The concept is proving to be so popular that Permanent Secretary of the Scottish Government Leslie Evans is reportedly considering introducing a similar scheme north of the border.

Speaking to SHP Online, Prospect’s Welsh Government Secretary Robin Bradfield says the idea first came about during the course of last year’s pay negotiations.

“These are austere times and given budget difficulties, we were thinking about other measures that could be implemented to help support staff,” adds Mr Bradfield.

He says the Welsh Government already has a number of other initiatives in place, but this was “another opportunity for the employer to demonstrate it commitments towards the physical and mental health of its staff”.

In particular, Mr Bradfield cites the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act and the Welsh Government’s Prosperity for All strategy, which includes commitments around the health and wellbeing of workers as other examples of how the devolved nation is leading the way.

Although the wellbeing hour has only been available since January and it is early days for the idea, Mr Bradfield says he has been surprised both at the take-up and the range of ways people are using the 60 minutes every week.

“I was quite heartened as a rep,” he tells SHP Online. “When you push for initiatives like this, the proof of pudding is in the eating. You don’t know if people will take it up, but I am more than pleasantly surprised at the rate of take up, and the range of issues and the thoughtful ways people were putting it to good use.”

Some of Prospect’s members have been using the wellbeing hour to organise walks with colleagues around local woods or take Pilates classes.

Genuine benefit

One anonymous trade union member said: “I must confess, I was an initial sceptic, but after a few weeks I can genuinely see the benefit of the hour. As someone who worked through lunch more than I should have, I’ve now started to fit in walks in the park, reading in the park and trips to the museum. Being able to take the hour in chunks is very good.

“The week where I was most organised saw two long walks in the park and a trip to the museum. In comparison to a typical week where I may have missed lunch a couple of times, I really did feel like I had a better week in work.
“Two thoughts: having a boss who is entirely comfortable with the hour and treats staff like grown-ups makes a big difference. We are also a team with members who play squash, go to the gym at lunchtime and so on. We therefore had ready-made early adopters, which helps beak the barrier as it were. I can see that, in teams where no one is adopting the hour, there may be more hesitancy.

“Finally, now the sun has finally come out, it would be good for the Welsh Government to really push the message that walking meetings and meetings held on picnic benches in the park are okay. This would complement the hour well.

“Obviously a walking meeting is not appropriate for the majority of meetings we have but if two colleagues need a quick catch-up, why not wander outside for half an hour? I suspect there’s no big issue with staff doing this now but it’s always good to get the message from high that this is supported,” adds the union member.

Mr Bradfield adds there has been a lot of interest from other organisations across the UK, who are keeping a “watching brief to see how this will work in practice”.

“But across all three unions, we are conscious of the pressures all public sector organisations are under,” he adds. “Ultimately, we feel that while it is a small step, it can help people to manage their wellbeing.

“A healthy and well staff will be a more productive staff. We’re hoping it will cut levels of sickness and push on the agenda, which the Welsh Government supports, in terms of the wellbeing of future generations.”

The Welsh Government’s permanent secretary, Shan Morgan, comments: “I see our new wellbeing hour as an innovative way of putting strategy into practice in a very practical way that I hope everyone will benefit from.”

 

What makes us susceptible to burnout?

In this episode  of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.

We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.

stress

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