"Working with Healthy Workplaces has given our company a chance to look at how we operate, and what we can bring in to support our staff. It’s been good to have more open conversations about mental health and create new initiatives to engage staff, whom have massively benefitted and connected on this journey."

The Knole is a registered care home for men with multiple needs including mental health and severe learning disabilities. It is a small part of a large organisation (The Langley Trust) and operates as a microcosm, somewhat in isolation from the central organisation. It is set in a restored church in a lovely area outside Cheltenham, with strong Christian values and a diverse population of employees and clients. 

Leading the way in mental wellbeing:

Social Care is a mentally and physically challenging specialism, requiring positivity, mental resilience and compassion. The Knole decided to take a proactive approach towards the mental well-being of its staff and offered direct access to their internal psychologist. Engagement flourished, with staff booking appointments not necessarily for clinical reasons, but just to talk through their own cognition and feelings and have a soundboard independent from colleagues. 

Making moving fun:

A recent survey by Magic Mountain found over 53% of the UK workforce reported suffering from Musco-Skeletal pain (MSK). Besides postural awareness, physical activity is key to protecting staff against the effects of bad posture and The Knole acknowledged the importance of movement. They went beyond ‘encouraging walks during lunch breaks’ and offered hula-hooping, yoga and body groove to ensure staff weren’t just told to move, but truly engaged in movement. 

The Knole is now working towards a ‘quiet space’ for staff to find solace in the residential care home and has assembled a team of three wellbeing champions to ensure the great work they have done towards the award maintains momentum. 

Learning from Langley House Trust (The Knole): 

• What proactive mental well-being support does your organisation deploy? 
• What reasons are you giving your staff to move? 
•  Is your health and well-being strategy truly being lived? 

We support organisations taking positive steps towards employee health and engagement every week. If you would like to find out more about the Healthy Workplace Award get in touch today: workplaces@hlsglos.org or 0800 122 3788