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From coffee mornings to samba – investing in wellbeing

13 Feb 2019

New socials at the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering – action from Staff Survey

Wellbeing exercise class

Further to the responses to the staff survey, the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering (MACE) has introduced a number of initiatives and activities to help improve staff wellbeing.

Since January they have implemented:

  • Weekly coffee mornings – sometimes with a theme or linked to a charity
  • Pilates classes – MACE ran a free six week taster session and a six week beginners class subsidised by the School. Due to interest and demand, these classes have continued but are now paid for by staff
  • Samba steel drum lessons – a couple of sessions were run in July which culminated in a demonstration to the School at MACE's Away Day.  Further sessions are planned over the coming months
  • Social spaces are being identified throughout the School and decorated to make them more comfortable for staff to have lunch breaks, relax and socialise during breaks
  • A walking group has been established which goes out at lunchtimes, sometimes joining the Lunchtime Strollers group
  • A badminton group has been formed and staff are invited to join and play after work on a monthly basis
  • A fridge was purchased for use by colleagues returning from maternity leave to store expressed milk
  • Staff joined the Purple Wave run as a result of advertising this as a wellbeing activity in the School newsletter
  • A series of lunch and learn sessions will be rolled out over the next year
  • There is a dedicated wellbeing section in the School newsletter

The wellbeing activities have had a positive impact on staff morale.  More colleagues are making an effort to get away from their desks at lunch-times by taking advantage of the above activities.  The activities have increased social interaction amongst colleagues and due to the large size of the School, they have enabled colleagues to get to know people they might not usually interact with. 

Staff Survey 2019

Staff Survey 2019 launches on Monday, 4 March and runs until Monday, 8 April.

You will receive an email or, if you don’t work at a computer, be given the chance to fill in the Staff Survey form. It only takes around 15 minutes to complete, and you can be sure that all the information you supply will be anonymous and treated in strictest confidence. This is because the Staff Survey 2019 is being administered on the University’s behalf by an external company, Capita.

The survey results will be published in June.