‘People are our most valuable assets’

As Mental Health Awareness Week draws to a close Utility Week hears from Anglian and Yorkshire about what well-being means and how working from home has affected their people

Trying to support the mental health and wellbeing of a workforce of thousands is a huge task even in normal times.

With the upheaval on ways of working and living enforced by coronavirus, the challenge is even greater.

However, according to Yorkshire Water, a culture of alertness to mental health already pervaded the entire organisation.

“We have 220 reservoirs and we could build another 2,000 but none of that would matter without people,” says Susan Gee Yorkshire’s group occupational health and wellbeing manager. “It’s a cliché but the most important asset is our people, so when there is a breach of one of the ‘people assets’ we have to give that the same attention we would to a burst mains pipe.”

The company has had a wellbeing strategy in place for the past few years to ensure staff have access to mental health services if they need them. These include an on-site counsellor, external counsellors and a mental health support group made up of trained mental health first aiders who any member of staff can talk to whenever they need to.

Yorkshire has more than 1,400 mental health first aiders trained, with all managers mandated to complete the two-day training course.

Since moving towards homeworking and social isolation the company has continued to undertake mandatory team stress risk assessments and provided a 24-hour phone line for staff, contractors and their families to be able to call if they experience any mental health concerns.

Gee says the confidential line is a way for people to talk about any stress, anxiety or other medical, financial, bereavement, addiction or dependency concerns.

This was something the company had been planning before the lockdown and will continue to be available in the future.

Another initiative that has taken off since home working is the Mental Health A-Z directory online, which includes links to support groups and other advice and the Big White Wall messaging board which offers a community of online support.

Employees can be referred to a consultant psychiatrist for assessment and recommendations for treatment are supported by the company and the GP where appropriate.

“A forward-looking company will look to assist with as many of life’s problems as they can,” Gee says. “Someone losing their job because of poor attendance linked to poor mental health really is a disaster, so we are committed to doing everything we can to help people come to work and be well at work.

“This is not about keeping people at work at any cost because sometimes it’s right they should not be at work but if they have a crisis, I am confident we would have a solution.”

Gee, who has been working at Yorkshire since 2013 says mental health has become more important to the company every year and representatives from every department sit on the wellbeing strategic group that is chaired by the company’s health and safety director.

Looking to the future, Gee explains there is scope for greater flexibility for all roles in the business now thanks to this experience.

“One of the walls that’s really been taken down is the myth that people can’t work at home and be productive. It takes the focus off of presentism,” Gee says and adds that this could give opportunity to staff experiencing chronic illnesses – for whom flexibility would make a significant difference to the quality of their working life.

FIKA time

During lockdown the way we communicate has had to change and many people have lost the regular contact with colleagues and friends they previously had. In response, employers have stepped up to offer digital connections that may revolutionise working practices.

To keep employees connected while homeworking, teams at Anglian have been encouraged to take part in “FIKA time”, which is a Swedish concept meaning to make time for friends and colleagues to share a “cuppa and some food”. This has been conducted virtually, with different teams across the business using the chance to get to know other teams.

Teams have also taken part in a wellbeing campaign called “In it together #lockdowngoals” where people share what they have been doing to stay physically and mentally active while at home.

The company has considered what physical and mental effects longer-term homeworking will have on employees and given all staff a three-month subscription to Headspace, a well-being app to give support at home.

Susannah Clements, Anglian’s director of people says the company has seen very low sickness absence during the lockdown period, however the occupational health team and HR teams have seen a record number of contacts for advice and reassurance.

She explains a bespoke “Wellness Action Plan” has been developed to encourage good conversations between employees and their line managers to recognise that there is not a one-size fits all approach to wellbeing and every employee has different circumstances.

The company carried out a survey into how staff have felt during lockdown to enhance working practices in the long-term. It will discuss these findings with managers across the business to decide on next steps. Anglian does not anticipate a return to the offices before the end of the year.

Anglian has encouraged all staff to work from home if they can, but Clements says they recognise it is challenging for some people. Managers are identifying those who need access to the right working environment on-site in a safe and secure way.

Anglian views the transition to working from home as a huge success and has seen roles that were never previously considered as being remote transitioning capably and productively to the home environment.

Clements says: “The flexibility shown by senior management from the start has been a huge plus. Recognising our employees, whatever their role, need to adjust to this new way of living, whether that is flexible working patterns for those who have young children or making sure our operational employees have the time to do the essentials during their working day.”