In May, we introduced this (Wellbeing Wednesday) weekly feature to support your health and wellbeing, hopefully giving you some useful information to help through these uncertain times and coping with the change we have all had to (and continue) to go through.
Although we will continue to share health and wellbeing information as it remains so important while adapting to this new way of working (and living), we are going to do something different in October to celebrate and recognise Black History Month. Each Wednesday the Equality Diversity and Inclusion group will be sharing information to support Black History Month and we want you to get involved from sharing your personal stories to taking part in the quiz. We will be starting the month with a cooking session on how to make the perfect Jamaican Rice and Peas with Monique Phillips-Bayliss on Friday 9 October, 12-1pm which will be followed by the Quiz the following Friday (16 October). The Microsoft Teams invite will be shared next week but for now, you can save the date in your calendar.
So, this week I want to remind you of where you can go for additional information and support:
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) – our EAP is delivered by Health Assured, who are available 24/7 to give free, confidential advice on a range of issues to you and your immediate family. You can contact the helpline by telephone on 0800 030 5182 or visit the online support tools via the health portal (username: Growth, password: Company). They also offer a free, confidential counselling service and a range of options to suit different communication preferences including telephone and email structured counselling sessions.
Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) – we have a number of MHFA across the Group available during working hours to support you in a time of crisis or act as a point of contact, reassurance and guidance. MHFA are not trained to give ongoing support or counselling, you will be encouraged to contact professional services for this, however they will be able to give you practical advice and guidance on managing and maintaining your mental health.
Time for Change Mental Health Champions – we have recently made the Time to Change pledge, a campaign to change the way people think, talk and act about mental health problems. To support our pledge we are training Mental Health Champions who will form the working group to process our Time to Change action plan. Their role is to encourage open conversation about mental health across the Group and will be happy to hear your thoughts on how we can do this. We will be sharing more about our Mental Champions for World Mental Health Day on 10 October.
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Staff Hub – as well as the health and wellbeing section, you can also find all the Wellbeing Wednesdays in the latest news on the hub for you to refer back to.
Making a positive difference
I would also like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who was involved in organising the GC Macmillan Coffee Morning last week and also to all of you who contributed and took part in the activities. We have managed to raise £567 (nearly doubling the original target of £300) so far but you can still donate until Friday 2 October.
We had a great turnout for the big quiz on Friday, congratulations the winning team the “Rat Babies” (Team captain: Lucy Goode, Carla Nuttall, Amy Collins and Victoria Roscow), who stormed to the front at the last hurdle. Qualmarks came in a close 2nd and the Green Ninjas in 3rd place. Well done to everyone who took part in the “Get Active” challenge including Isabelle Farquhar and Peter Gaunt who cycled nearly 100 miles between them to help raise money throughout September. Of course, a coffee morning has to include some baking and Caroline Dolan has been crowned GC Macmillan Bake Off Champion 2020. Congratulations to Anna Goudie for winning the raffle and Alan Livesey, Gabrielle Jameson Cox, Becky Chedd, Janine Smith and Justine Booth for winning the mini quiz and bingo in the morning sessions.
While I’m talking about raising money for charity, over the last 18 months the GC Business Finance team have raised an incredible £2,500 for CLIC Sargent and are just £160 (which they hope to get over the next couple of weeks) below their £2500 target for SCOPE. I’m sure you’ll agree that this is an amazing achievement and if you want to help them get to that £5000 mark you can donate here.
Running, baking and quizzing isn’t for everyone so did you know you can help raise money for charities while online shopping? Both Amazon Smile and Easy Fundraising allow you to donate to a charity of your choice while doing your shopping online. Maybe you could register before you start Christmas shopping? Talking about starting the Christmas shopping, don’t forget to check out the GC Hive for any deals before you do. You can do more and spend less with this savings guide.
As a final note, I want to remind you that as we continue on this coronavirus roller-coaster, to look after yourself and your colleagues. Ask twice – are you okay? No really, are you okay? And remember, it’s okay not to be okay, but if you’re not okay, people are here for you to talk to.