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Ask for help

101 days ago

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Governments in both the UK and the Republic of Ireland have introduced measures designed to stop the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19), and protect frontline health services. Such measures have included preventing public gatherings, closing certain businesses and venues, and encouraging home-working where possible.

As a company with business activities that are integrated with public services, many of our team members are assisting with the national response by continuing to go to work - in our healthcare, education, justice, energy and food production sites, while hundreds of others are doing their bit by re-deploying to support such services.

While our Make Yourself at Home series looks to offer support and advice for colleagues who are new to working from home, we are all restricting our movements in some way - doing all we can to save lives.

The potential impact on mental health should not be ignored, and we ought to prioritise wellbeing in all its forms. Whether you are an open book or the strong silent type, asking for help when you need it is essential for maintaining healthy wellbeing.

Reaching out for help doesn't have to be formal. Ensure you make the time to check-in with colleagues regularly - a weekly chat about non-work related topics can be mutually beneficial. If you are a manager or someone who is still working on-site - perhaps in a solitary role - make sure to get involved and speak to others to provide essential updates, whilst encouraging them to keep up-to-date on Your_Sodexo.

For many people, work is their primary source of social interaction, and staying at home can be particularly lonely. For others, home might not be a happy environment. At a time like this, the impact of colleagues being kind to one another can be especially profound. One way in which managers can help is to set up 'wellbeing buddies' within the team, assigning points-of-contact for each colleague, who can check-in regularly with one another, as well as having regular contact with the manager.

Now, more than ever, it's important to be aware of the breadth of our employee assistance programme, Sodexo Supports Me. The resource is free to use, available 24/7, and open to all colleagues (as well as people living with an employee). Additional support can be found in the new Wellbeing Hub on Ingenium - a library of short videos on a wide range of topics - and of course the wellbeing page on Your_Sodexo.

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