8
We ask the experts
How can HR create a good virtual employee experience?
Carving out a good employee experience has always been a top priority for the people function, as the statistics have proven.
HR Grapevine
7
A Day in the life of...
Ricky Burt
Wellbeing Lead, Midland Heart
For Ricky Burt, Wellbeing Lead at Midland Heart, most mornings start with a much-needed cup of coffee and responding to any new emails. Below, Ricky sheds light on the variety of wellbeing activities he gets involved in each day at the Midlands-based housing association. This can consist of anything from working with the communications’ team to develop new and exciting wellbeing campaigns, to creating a team of Mental Health First Aiders...
As the Wellbeing Lead, I work as part of our corporate resources directorate to support the wellbeing of our colleagues across the organisation. This can include working with individuals one-to-one, helping managers to support their teams or delivering organisational wellbeing initiatives.
What I enjoy most about my role is that no two days are the same and it allows me to work with so many different people.
Morning
Like many people, much of the last 18 months has been spent working from home. As such, I’ve not missed my hour commute to work in the morning, something I was particularly grateful for over winter – I don’t think I had to de-ice the car once. Instead, it’s been an extra hour of sleep (it’s important for your wellbeing!) and I’m up about 8am.
The start of my day is spent getting ready, enjoying a much-needed coffee and usually tending to pets or plants – there are few spaces in my house that haven’t been occupied by plants.
I like to start work at about 9am, with the first hour usually spent responding to any new emails and preparing for what’s in my calendar. I try not to arrange meetings before 10am, to ensure I’m caught up and ready for the day ahead.
Between 10am and noon, I’ll likely be meeting with other teams, so we can update each other on our current activities or plan what’s coming up. This might include learning more about current sickness absence and support from our HR operations’ team, or working on our next wellbeing campaign with our communications’ team. Our campaigns this year have been really well received as I think more people are realising the importance of looking after their wellbeing. These have been delivered in a true collaborative effort between teams.
I try not to arrange meetings before 10am, to ensure I’m caught up and ready for the day ahead
Afternoon
After lunch, it’s usually a good time for any quick catch-ups with individuals. I work closely with our Diversity Business Partner, as our activities tend to complement one another. I’m also Co-Chair of our LGBT+ Inclusion Network, so I could be checking in with network members or my fellow co-chair. September has been a busy month, with us taking part in both Leicester and Birmingham Pride, which were great events and a brilliant opportunity to showcase Midland Heart as an inclusive employer.
The remainder of the afternoon is the best time for me to get my head down and there’s always plenty to do. Most recently, this has been spent working on creating a team of Mental Health First Aiders and reviewing potential new services to keep building on our wellbeing offering for colleagues.
With many now smart working, sharing their time between home or one of our offices, we’ve seen an increase in the need for Display Screen Equipment (DSE) support. So, I could be conducting DSE assessments and advising individuals on workstation adjustments or sourcing equipment to support them.
Evening
General administration tasks are usually saved until the end of the day, before I log off around 5:30-6pm. When working from home I’m fortunate enough to work in a spare room, which helps to switch between work and home life.
In my spare time, I like getting out on the allotment or spending time in the garden after work. Some of it can be hard work but it’s great exercise and nice to spend time outside in nature after using a screen for much of the day. There’s no better sense of satisfaction than seeing the fruits of your labour – literally – when the garden is in bloom and you’ve got fresh produce from the allotment. The season’s almost over now but there’s still plenty to do.
What I enjoy most about my role is that no two days are the same
While the pandemic has presented its challenges, it’s prompted us to realise the benefits of a more agile approach to working, as well as helping all of us to improve our technological capabilities. We’ve delivered a lot over the last 18 months virtually. I’m now excited to see what else we can achieve by combining in-person and virtual events, and further improving colleague engagement in our wellbeing activities.
End of the day
© 1979-2023 Executive Grapevine International Ltd
You are currently previewing this article.
This is the last preview available to you for 30 days.
To access more news, features, columns and opinions every day, create a free myGrapevine account.