Health and Wellbeing
NDM Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022
The Health and Wellbeing of our staff is at the forefront of our research and professional services strategy. The latest official data from across the UK shows 32.5 million working days were lost due to work-related ill health in 2019/20, with stress, anxiety, and depression accounting for almost 18 million of these, with many of the workforce continuing to work or taking annual leave when they are unwell. Having a proactive and preventative approach towards wellbeing will ensure NDM is committed to supporting all of its staff, it will help attract and retain the best talent, further develop a positive organisational culture, reduce costs, and optimise work activity.
NDM recognise that everyone faces challenges, both professionally and personally and we are committed to supporting all our staff, to ensure they feel valued and respected as we address new challenges over the coming months and years.
The Health and Wellbeing Strategy has been developed around 4 key elements: Growth, Resilience, Wellbeing, and Support. We will focus on 3 priority areas in order to cultivate a positive working environment. This will allow us to identify and understand the circumstances our staff face and ensure we can learn from the approaches taken. These priority areas are in alignment with the University’s Wellbeing Strategy, the Said Business School’s wellbeing principles and NHS guidance.
Creating a positive working environment, (Growth, Support, Wellbeing)
NDM is committed to creating a positive working environment which helps staff thrive and reach their full potential. We are dedicated to sustaining and improving the wellbeing of our staff and are taking positive steps to build an inclusive culture that embeds equality and diversity into everything we do.
Healthy Lifestyle (Wellbeing, Resilience, Support)
It is important we all take personal responsibility for our wellbeing, which includes healthy eating, exercising, and looking after our mental health. We will support NDM staff in taking positive steps to support healthy lifestyles such as taking regular breaks from the screen/lab bench, going for a walk, or adopting new ways of working e.g., not sending emails outside of their own working hours. We will develop communities of practice that will enable sharing of knowledge and expertise both in Oxford and overseas, empowering staff to make decisions which will improve their mental and physical wellbeing.
Mental wellbeing (Resilience, Support, Wellbeing, Growth)
We will implement recommendations from new evidence-based research initiatives, to improve our staff and students’ mental health, tailored to meet specific role requirements across NDM and our overseas activities. Examples include:
www.psych.ox.ac.uk/research/study-with-us
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/mental-health/themes/innovation-policy-systems-services.aspx