Copy article

Employers caring for their staff

ended 07. March 2023

Sarah Loates of Loates HR Consultancy highlighted exactly how bad the cost of living crisis is earlier when she said one of her clients was filling a freezer with food for staff to take home so that they can eat, while another was paying for their staff to be Costco members. She also said a growing number of employers, in her experience, are paying for their employees to have private healthcare and 24/7 GP access due to the NHS crisis and GP waiting times. We're keen to know any examples you might have of clients going above and beyond to look after their staff in these uncertain times. Not so much pay rises, although clearly they are important, but more heartfelt or unique ways to support their staff. This has got the national newspapers and TV all over it so let us know if the businesses your mention would be happy to be interviewed/filmed, too. 

2 responses from the Newspage community

Copy all

Copy

Dr Felicity Baker
Co-Founder/ Clinical Psychologist at Ultimate Resilience Ltd
Following three years of permacrisis employers are increasingly recognising the need to support their employees in more ways than just their work. The most effective way to do this is by taking time to understand the challenges people face. Providing a freezer full of food is great if that's where people are struggling, but no help if this is not what people need. Making time to listen is a helpful intervention in itself and with greater awareness of what employees are struggling with, employers can offer solutions that make a real difference. Our clients' solutions range from massive changes, introducing the 4-day week on 100% pay across the whole organisation, to smaller more targeted approaches such as providing lunchtime yoga, breakfast clubs, mental health days off and paid days off to engage in volunteering and community activities.
Copy

Katie Elliott
Director at HR Katie
The business I currently work with has invested in an online well-being program. This mainly runs from an app where you fill out a personal health assessment, which will then help you focus on the main areas affecting your overall health. This could be difficulty sleeping, help with nutrition, or support with parenting tips, so it is across a wide range of lifestyle pressure points, not just related to "stress at work." It has been well received so far as employees can see we are really trying to invest in their overall well-being, even when times are tough financially.