Health and Wellbeing Flip book

Health andWellbeing May 2018

We have a range of initiatives aimed to support and enhanceyour work-life balance and wellbeing.We understand that by supporting our employees, we willdeliver better outcomes for you, Somerset County Counciland the communities of Somerset.

Care first

We recognise there are times when you will need some extrasupport, and as an employee of Somerset County Council,you have free access to an Employee Assistance Programme,provided by Care first, this includes a confidential counsellingservice.To access or find out more about the services Care First canoffer you, you can call them 24 hours a day on 0800 174319or visit their website and log-in usingusername: scc001 / password: ncil1234

Flexible working

We offer flexible working arrangements, wherever possible,offering you the flexibility to manage your work and homecommitments in a way to suit your lifestyle.

Working WellChampions

What is a Working Well Champion?First of all, a Working Well Champion is not a personaltrainer, nutritionist or other health expert! Champions aremanagers or members of staff with an interest in health andwellbeing. They will help us bring together all of our healthyworkplace plans in different ways. It’s good to have WorkingWell Champions at senior, middle management and front-line levels.Members of staff can benefit by becoming health championsby:• Positively influencing the health of their colleagues and their work environment.• Developing skills in areas their current role may not allow.• Gain knowledge around an area of interest.• Builds confidence.• Meeting new people and making friends.• Be rewarded by seeing colleagues become fitter and healthier.

A middle management or front-line Champion would:• Make sure that the effect on the health and wellbeing of staff is considered and protected throughout management decisions and actions.• Facilitate/Chair or be involved in steering groups or sit on wellbeing group meetings.• Signpost colleagues to relevant services.• Order and provide health promotion leaflets and materials related to national health days such as No Smoking Day, Cancer Awareness Day, and World AIDS day.• Act as liaison between employees, senior managers, the community and Public Health on healthy workplace matters and health initiatives.• Be involved in arranging health fairs and other health events.• Inspire and enthuse colleagues to improve their health and wellbeing.

Senior Management ChampionThis should be someone who understands how a healthyworkplace can benefit a company and its employees and isenthusiastic about promoting the organisation as a healthyworkplace. This person should be someone who is on andregularly contributes to top-level decision-making, who hasaccess to resources or can procure them and who can takestrategic business decisions. They would:• Make sure that the effect on employee health and wellbeing is considered and protected in all key business decisions and actions.• Make sure staff are consulted on workplace health and wellbeing.• Be involved in the planning and design of the healthy workplace strategy.• Act as a liaison between leadership, employees, the community and Public Health.• Interpret health-related data on the employee population.• Raise awareness of health issues to the Senior Leadership Team.

• Make sure that the healthy workplace policy and all of the arrangements within it are regularly monitored and reviewed.• Recommend effective strategies, based on advice from health professionals and/or using the evidence in the health behaviour literature and national and/or recommended best practices.• Guide the organisation in setting measurable goals for employee health improvement.• Create and manage work plans and budgets for implementation of selected strategies.• Facilitate steering groups.• Document and report short-term and long-term progress towards goals.• Be able to consult about the healthy workplace agenda with all stakeholders including employees, elected members, trade unions, partners and customers.• Inspire and enthuse fellow senior managers to be health role-models.

TrainingIf Managers or employees are interested in becoming aWorking Well Champion there are a number of trainingopportunities available.Find out moreFor more information or to register your interest in becominga Working Well Champion,contact [email protected].

Mental WellbeingAmbassadors

Mental Wellbeing Ambassadors are employees who haveundertaken Mental Health First Aid training and have agreed tochampion positive mental health within our workplace. They workin services from across the Council and act in a voluntary capacity.Ambassadors seek to:• Promote positive mental health by proactively challenging the stigma which surrounds mental ill health.• Provide one to one confidential support to people who are experiencing emotional and mental wellbeing issues.Mental Wellbeing Ambassadors can offer an independent ‘listeningear’ at times of need. They are not trained professionals and donot make diagnoses, deliver therapy, counselling or other healthservices or act as formal advocates, but they can provideinformation about local support services.If you or a colleague would find it helpful to have support from aMental Wellbeing Ambassador, or you would like an Ambassador tocome to a team meeting, contact [email protected] tobe confidentially matched with an Ambassador.