Wellbeing Champions just Announced Across College!
Here at Weston College, the welfare and wellbeing of staff is one of our top priorities. Our fantastic Welfare Officer, Emma, recently announced college-wide ‘Wellbeing Champions’, whereby 20 members of staff across 15 departments have volunteered to offer guidance and support for any work or personal issues any colleague may be struggling with.
We caught up with Emma, who told us about her inspiration for setting up this initiative, and what the impact she hopes it will have on the staff and the college: “Early intervention is crucial when it comes to our mental health but sadly, mental health and wellbeing services are saturated with long waiting lists when help is needed. I wanted to set up a team who could support me in ensuring that all staff have a safe place to talk openly about any worries or concerns they have.
“The Champions are all passionate about mental health and wellbeing, and they have been recruited to work alongside my role as Staff Welfare officer in supporting the wellbeing of all staff within the college.
“We are fully aware how the impact of the challenges that we all face outside of college, can impact how we are feeling at work, so the Champions are happy to offer general support with any issues you may be experiencing in your work or personal life. It is also the responsibility of the Champions to make referrals to myself if further support is required.
“It can often feel difficult to open up at work (or in general), so this new initiative has been put in place to make it easier for staff to have a confidential chat and feel supported at work; Champions will never pressure anyone to chat if they do not want to. We have all heard that prevention is better than the cure and this is never truer than with mental health. It is time to recognize our mental health as essential to our physical health. At Weston college it is important to me that we work hard to send the message the importance of reaching out early for help when we notice something doesn’t feel right.
“I am really passionate and excited to be rolling this project out and I hope it will make a difference to individuals and, in turn, the whole college.”
If you would like to find out more about welfare at Weston College, click here.
If you are passionate about education and are looking for an opportunity to join the staff team at our award-winning college, then look at the latest job vacancies available at Weston College here. You can find all the latest job opportunities that Weston College has to offer, with a commitment to providing quality education to students and a focus on continuous professional development for staff, Weston College is an excellent place to work and grow in your career.
