We were happy to begin our new networking event series with the theme of ‘Workplace Well-being’. Not only is it Mental Health Awareness Week but this past year has plagued the VCSE sector with more work, less staff and new working environments. Those who work in the VCSE sector are often under immense pressure, which can cause strains on mental health.  It is vital that the wellbeing and mental health of staff in the sector are protected, so that we can continue to provide the depth and breadth of support to our communities under the right conditions

The aim of our new networking series is to connect organisations from across the North West to share issues, solutions and best practices.  

We have six takeaway lessons from our first networking session, which we would like to share across the VCSE sector to help advance the sector’s workplace well-being strategy: 

1. Think through informal support for staff e.g. a dedicated wellbeing role for a trustee

2. Mental health first aid training e.g. from MIND 

3. Develop blended/hybrid models of working e.g. working from home (WFH) and/or office work 

4. Develop policies to manage workplace well-being 

5. Staff well-being surveys e.g. quarterly surveys asking how staff are feeling/coping and reaching out to those in need 

6. Staff appreciation vouchers 

We would like to thank our eloquent speakers, Mustafa Hassan who is a Project Officer at Lancashire BME Network (LBN) and Maisie Hulbert, Policy Officer from ACEVO. Furthermore, thanks to all those who came and contributed to the session; we hope it was useful and can benefit future practices.  

You can find here more detailed notes from the speakers and breakout rooms.

Our next networking meeting is on the June 15th and will focus on the NHS reconfigurations; we will update more details via Twitter and our website. We hope to see you there.