Wellbeing

Wellbeing at work relates to all aspects of working life, from the quality and safety of the physical environment, to how dept members feel about their work, duties, their relationships with others, their working environment and the overall culture.

Urgent support advice for mental health crisis

An employee's guide - What to do if you are struggling to cope

Working from Home:

Learn about setting up your home office and how best to manage your physical and mental health.

Wellbeing guidance for staff
Athena SWAN sub-committee: Wellbeing Committee (link tbc)

Mental Health

The University has a wide range of resources to help individuals manage mental health problems, as well as resources for managers and teams to help support each other. Please find more information on the Occupational Health website.

Mental Health First Aiders

The department's Mental Health First Aiders have completed a two-day mental health first-aid training course, accredited by Mental Health England. They act as an initial point of contact for staff and students experiencing a mental health issue or emotional distress. They are trained to recognise the symptoms of mental ill health, provide initial help and guide a person towards appropriate professional help. Mental Health First Aiders are not trained to be therapists, but they are taught how to respond in a crisis.

How can they help:

Available for a supportive conversation.
Listen non-judgementally.
Maintain confidentiality as appropriate.
Support and encourage you to get appropriate help which may be in the form professional support or self-help strategies.

Please feel free to get in touch with any of the mental health first aiders and pass on this information to any Paediatrics member who you think might benefit from having an informal chat with someone at a convenient location that suits them.

Our Mental Health First Aiders are:

Iris Hofmann, Acting Head of Operations (IDRM): iris.hofmann@paediatrics.ox.ac.uk

Stefano Maio, Developmental Immunology Group: stefano.maio@paediatrics.ox.ac.uk

Charlotte Walber, Acting HR Manager: charlotte.walber@paediatrics.ox.ac.uk

DSE ASSESSMENT:

Having a work station that is set up correctly, with appropriate equipment, good lighting and free of distractions is essential for your productivity.

Display Screen Equipment risk assessments information

Please complete the steps below and discuss any adjustment needs with your line manager. You can of course also email HR hr@paediatrics.ox.ac.uk

Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Form: https://dse.ox.ac.uk/assessments/

FLEXIBLE WORKING:

To be eligible to make a request for flexible working under the University’s flexible working procedure you must be able to make the following declarations:

You are an employee (not a casual or agency worker)
You have at least 26 weeks continuous service with the University
You have not made another request for flexible working during the last 12 months

To apply for flexible working, please complete this flexible working application form and submit it to the HR team the HR team at hr@paediatrics.ox.ac.uk. To find out more about flexible working please visit the University website.

BULLYING & HARASSMENT:

The University does not tolerate any form of harassment or victimisation and expects all its members, visitors and contractors to treat each other with respect, courtesy and consideration.

The University is committed to fostering an inclusive culture which promotes equality, values diversity and maintains a working, learning and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all members of the University are respected.

Bullying & Harassment policy

A person subjects another to harassment where s/he engages in unwanted and unwarranted conduct which has the purpose or effect of:

violating another person’s dignity, or
creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for another person.

Bullying is a form of harassment and may be characterised as offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour. Misuse of power through means intended to undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure the recipient is also classified a bullying.

The University condemns harassment as an unacceptable form of behaviour, and has a service to support staff and students who think that they are being harassed in any way.

If you feel that you have been subject to or have witnessed bullying and harassment, then support is available. The following people in the department are trained Harassment Advisors: