UKUPC Mental Health Awareness Week: Day 2 - Reflecting on our priorities for employee wellbeing with APUC

During Mental Health Awareness Week it is a good time to reflect on our priorities when it comes to employee wellbeing:

1. Make time to check in on our colleagues, following up with them, understanding and relating to their challenges and supporting them
2. The importance of raising awareness and accessing experts, whether it be to have mindfulness sessions or Mental Health First Aid training
3. Appreciation of the benefits of physical exercise, access to the outdoors, appreciation of nature, reminders to set aside time for this
4. Setting aside time to have a cuppa with colleagues, or go for a walk, asking them about their lives outside the workplace
5. Recognising and accepting that it is ok not to be ok!

Some specific ways we connect with our colleagues are to have walking meetings, regular virtual and in-person catch-ups, guided monthly mindfulness sessions, have fun activities on various awareness days and opportunities to connect with nature.  Underpinning our wellbeing activity is our Employee Assistance Programme – contact your consortia for details of the relevant Framework Agreement – which provides an online app with a library of resources on physical and mental health and, most importantly, provides access to the counselling service which can assist colleagues when times get tough.

Don’t forget to register for this week’s UKUPC Webinar Loneliness and Connection hosted by HEPCW on Friday 13th May 2022 from 10am. You can find out more and register your FREE place here.