What is Wellbeing?
Wellbeing is a state of mind where an individual is able to realise their own abilities, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively & fruitfully and make positive contributions to community, including in the workplace.
Why support this in the workplace?
It’s an employer’s legal & moral duty, in particular to protect from stress at work.
Where does the responsibility for this lie?
Ultimately, I believe that the agenda for supporting Wellbeing in the workplace starts by leading from the top – Senior Management fully on board and establishing a culture where Wellbeing is prioritised!
So how is Wellbeing addressed at CEM Solutions?
We use a multi-pronged strategy which we weave throughout the year! In this blog we’re focussing on just one of those strands!
1. Work / Life Balance
We are a small team and we work hard! Time off to recuperate is essential. We offer an enhanced annual leave baseline of 5 days more than statutory and an additional day after each 2 years of employment, up to 36 days.
We have 2 ‘non-standard’ days at Christmas and in the Summer – food & drinks together and/or a shared activity. These have included an escape room, axe-throwing, a treasure hunt in the heart of the Peak District and a food & drink tour in Sheffield’s old industrial heart! It’s great to be able to interact with each other outside of the workplace, building positive relationships and making memories!
At the latter end of last year, we introduced a trial of a different way of working for distinct periods of the year. We call these ‘Sprints’ – an 8-week period whereby we finish at 12.30 on a Friday, with no change to pay or other benefits. Feedback from employees after the first trial included:
- The increased access to daylight hours allowed for physical activity which helped boost both mental & physical health.
- Claimed back more of the weekend as mundane jobs like mowing the lawn and the weekly shop could be pulled into Friday afternoon.
- Great to use the time to meet up with family and friends!
In 2025 we will be trialling 3 further Sprints across the year. It will be interesting to evaluate productivity in the hope that it remains high, potentially increasing, whilst ensuring that we’re not compromising our offering to our customers.
However, we’re optimistic that improving the work/life balance for our amazing team will ultimately lead to happier/healthier employees who are refreshed, enthused and proud to work for CEM Solutions!
Blog by Jo Lloyd