Before lockdown, my 2-year-old son was in nursery and when I
collected him, his teacher always gave me a rundown of his day;
what he learned, what he ate etc and I would always ask the same
question in return..." was he kind today?"
For me, kindness is such an important value, in both the
workplace and our personal lives. Because of lockdown and remote
working, the small ways we normally show kindness in the workplace
have, for most of us, disappeared for now. Making someone a cup of
tea, a hello and a smile as you walk past in the corridor, asking
how someone's day has been, buying biscuits to share. Most of us do
these things without thinking about them. We are naturally caring,
social creatures. But for someone who isn't having a great day,
these small things can make a big difference.
So, it's really important now, when many people are feeling
isolated and anxious, we reach out and take the time to make
colleagues and loved ones feel better. A virtual hug, a thinking of
you message, an offer of support and a chat; even to those you may
not normally speak to at work, could really have a positive impact
on someone's mental wellbeing, showing that you're thinking of them
and that you care.
I am really proud to be part of the Redspire team. Our managers
work hard to support and encourage their teams and we are
continuously striving to make Redspire a great place to be. As part
of our roadmap prior to lockdown, we had been reviewing the way we
do business to ensure our everyday working culture is as mentally
healthy as possible. We continue to do this by reviewing training
and coaching options for our managers to give them the tools they
need to further support their teams, and we will be creating a hub
of resources to encourage all employees to explore and share ways
to manage stress, anxiety and mental health.
Our next step is to train a number of team members to become
mental health ambassadors. We are currently running mindfulness
sessions, introducing wellbeing action plans and continue to
organise virtual social events, quizzes and celebrate birthdays and
achievements. We're keen that our teams input what's important to
them too, so source suggestions of what matters to them. We're keen
that we continue to deliver a great service to our customers,
making sure our employees have the balance between work and
personal life; especially now, as both are so intertwined.
As well as hands-on team support, our anonymous wellbeing survey
helps measure how successful our initiatives are, but also
allows staff a voice and us to listen. It supports the daily
conversations between employees and managers and sets benchmarks to
measure and improve. It's important as employers and managers that
we talk, listen and really care about supporting our teams. We
strive to create a trusting, open environment, where people won't
be judged and we continue to encourage people to speak out and ask
for help if they need it. These recent months have been tough on
the global community. Everything has changed. That's what makes it
even more important now, for us all to work hard to get through the
new challenges we face.
Be kind to each other, #KindnessMatters
Connect with Kristine as
she shares more on Redspire's Mental Health and Wellbeing Roadmap
over the months ahead.
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