Skip to navigation | Skip to main content | Skip to footer
Menu
Search the University of Manchester siteSearch Menu StaffNet

Staff benefits and wellbeing update

07 Apr 2022

Stress awareness, Blackwell's, Fundraising for the Ukraine Crisis appeal with Be Active, Update on Summer fitness sessions and financial wellbeing in these difficult times

Stress awareness session

April is stress awareness month and to help raise awareness, there will be a bookable webinar that will provide an overview of stress and its causes, how it impacts individuals and how to reduce it. The session takes place on Wednesday, 20 April at 2pm.

Blackwell's bookshop and Caffe Nero

Blackwell's is our fantastic campus bookshop. They have a wide selection of new and bestselling books, as well as greetings cards, stationery, gifts, technology, and lots more. You'll also find a Caffe Nero on the mezzanine floor. You can receive 10% discount off your purchases at Blackwell's and their in-house Caffe Nero. Please show your staff ID to receive discount. University staff can also receive 50% off special events at Blackwell’s.

Be Active Fundraising Ukraine Crisis appeal

Join the Be Active team for some group exercise in person or on Zoom and help raise money for The Ukraine Crisis Appeal supported by the British Red Cross. They will be offering fitness fundraiser classes 4th - 15th April. No booking needed, just turn up and enjoy! You can donate before you attend or click on the QR Code at the Wellbeing rooms to donate.

Locations: Simon Building, Wellbeing rooms G.66 for the face to face session and click the meeting ID link to join the zoom session. They are offering Pilates, Yoga, Zumba & 30 minute fitness classes. Please note that on Good Friday -the Friday Flex will be running as usual and the Zumba at 12.00 on Friday will now run on Thursday 14th April

Be Active Summer classes - Bookings now open

During the summer term there will be a reduced group exercise programme offering Face to face and Zoom classes. They have various classes with Yoga, Zumba, Pilates, Weights classes including Kettle Bell conditioning and Barbell sculpt, Legs, Bums & Tums, Boxercise, Step and Body blast.

The UOM Sport Team are still offering the Zoom Full pass and the Flexi Pass, so if you do more than 3 zoom classes a week then the Full Zoom pass is a good buy at just £40.00 or if you like to do a mix of face to face at the well-being room plus all Zoom classes this pass just cost £55.00. The closing date to purchase one of the passes is Tuesday 3rd May. With the Flexi Zoom pass you can book weekly onto two face to face session at the Wellbeing room, no need to book onto the Zoom as all links will be sent to you at the time of purchase.

  • You don’t have to buy a Zoom or Flexi pass you can also book for individual courses here
  • To book your Zoom/Flexi pass please click here
  • The Be Active Summer schedule please click here

Financial wellbeing

On 1 April a 54% rise in the energy price cap hit 22 million homes, a typical £700/yr increase. When combined with all the other price rises, it will produce a material drop in living standards for most on low to middle incomes. This will be causing worry for many people.

  • OfGem have advice on getting help if you can't afford your energy bills.
  • Mercer, a firm that specialises in helping organisations support their employees’ wellbeing, provides you with access to free guides and other financial materials. These resources are designed to help you through any difficult times by giving you access to videos and content that are regularly updated.
  • On our financial wellbeing there are links to other guidance to help support you manage your finances such as MoneySavingExpert and signposts help if your mental health if it is affected by money worries.
  • With the Vivup Lifestyle Savings benefit you can easily access discounts which can save you money on day to day and special purchases. This includes a wide range of the UK’s biggest supermarkets with evouchers. Plus there are energy switching services to make sure you’re on the best tariff. The Vivup Home and Electronic Scheme is also invaluable for if you need a  ‘distress purchases’ (e.g., a broken washing machine), enabling you to spread the cost through your salary.

More links for financial wellbeing will be added over the coming weeks.

For more information visit staff benefits and wellbeing

Video of the week

This week's video is from the mental health charity Mind. It focuses on managing stress for students. However, there are plenty of tips and ideas. Don’t worry if some ideas don’t work for you – just enjoy the ones that do. For staff on the frontline of student support this may be particularly useful.