The health and wellbeing of our whole college community is incredibly important to us and we take it extremely seriously.
In 2019, the College signed up to the up to a brand new national mental health and wellbeing charter — created by the Association of Colleges in conjunction with mental health experts.
The 11-point document includes commitments to:
- Promoting equality of opportunity and challenging mental health stigma
- Providing appropriate mental health training for staff
- Providing targeted individual mental health support where appropriate
This charter is as much about promoting health and wellbeing amongst our student body as it is with our staff. Since this charter was signed the College has established a wellbeing strategy group to take both staff and student wellbeing initiatives forward.
All staff at Nottingham College have access to a Wellbeing Hub – a hive of information, advice and support to encourage mental health awareness as well as plenty of resources to support staff in safeguarding their own physical and mental wellbeing.
Events and cafés
The College runs countless events every year, many of which correlate to the days and weeks which have been designated as special days in our national and international calendars. We hold regular events and CPD activities linked to World Health Day, Mental Health Awareness Week, National Time to Talk Day, National Carers’ Day and much much more.
In addition the College has established smaller and more intimate café style events to support staff who may be experiencing similar life experiences.
We recognise that for many of our staff, coming to work represents only one of their jobs and responsibilities. For some they are caring for sick or elderly relatives, or in some cases, spouses. For others, they have children have additional and specific care needs. Balancing both can be difficult and stressful and at Nottingham College, we’re committed to providing our staff with support and care just for them.
In 2019 we held a carers’ café to bring staff members together so that they could share experiences, talk to one another and draw on each other for advice, support and friendship. This was a resounding success and we’re committed to not only facilitating more support for carers, but launch new cafes to ensure staff with shared experiences can come together and help each other.
In 2019 Nottingham College set aside old and outdated taboos and held its first menopause café, recognising that for those approaching, going through or coming out the other side of menopause, their world is different.
It was a hugely popular event, with many simply reaching out to know that they were not alone, but importantly, for Nottingham College, we were able to understand and implement changes that could support those going through such a significant life change and put in place new resources, processes and policies to support.
We’re committed to continuing to support those who took part and the many more that have shown an interest as a result.
We’re a large college, currently located across 10 campus sites. We can often spend years knowing someone remotely, perhaps over email or over the phone, but never face to face. At Nottingham College we realised that this needed to change.
In early 2020, to coincide with National Time to Talk Day, we held a pilot event at our Beeston campus, to bring together around 200 staff from across the campus for a morning of tea, coffee, homemade cakes and refreshments, a few games, but importantly, uninterrupted chat! This downtime and space to network and get to know the face to the name was vitally important for Nottingham College’s One Team ethos.
Throughout 2020 and beyond we’re planning a series of Time to Talk events to enable all staff to have the time to get up from their desks, come out of their office and socialise, even just for a little while,with friends and colleagues.
Employee Assistance Helpline
The College provides a free helpline which offers confidential advice and support to staff who may be experiencing difficulties at work or at home.
This service offers access to free counselling, financial advice, support with addiction, relationship breakdowns, health matters, work worries and much more. Colleagues can access this service online or over the phone and its available 24/7.
Mental Health First Aid
The College provides a free helpline which offers confidential advice and support to staff who may be experiencing difficulties at work or at home.
This service offers access to free counselling, financial advice, support with addiction, relationship breakdowns, health matters, work worries and much more. Colleagues can access this service online or over the phone and its available 24/7.
Health, fitness and time to yourself
Through its benefits scheme Nottingham College promotes a range of additional health and fitness advantages. We offer a discounted membership package to Nottingham City Council owned gym and leisure facilities. There are eight to choose from so whether it’s a swim, a class or a gym session, we have it covered for just £24.99 per month.
As a Nottingham College employee you are eligible for a staff, discounted plan with Simply Health, each specifically designed to cover your optical and dental needs and any new medical conditions. You will also be covered for any time spent in the hospital or recuperating.
We also provide staff members with the option to buy additional annual leave, important for those days you choose to spend by yourself or with loved ones to provide additional rest and recuperation should you ever need it.
