Here’s what you told us about wellbeing at Wellgate

By Ash Akhtar, Head of Culture and Engagement (Club Director)

Last month, I asked you to help us shape what wellbeing looks like at Wellgate and to tell us what's going on for you across your mental health, physical health, finances, and connections, and what would make a real difference.

Here's what you told us, what I think it means, and what happens next.

How everyone's doing right now

I asked how people were doing right now, in their own words. Some of you said pretty good. 15 of you said up and down, or a bit stretched.

What this tells us: most people are doing okay, but a few are having a harder time than "fine." Up and down and stretched aren't quite the same feeling. Up and down usually passes: a bad shift, a bad night's sleep, and you bounce back. Stretched is like running on empty for a while. Both are normal in a job like this, where you're looking after other people all day, and your own tank runs low.

What it means for our approach:

For you: if you notice you're tipping into "stretched" more than just having the odd off day, then small things help, like a break, a conversation instead of a quick "you alright?", and using the counselling sessions we offer through Westfield Health.

For us as a business: this tells us we need to check in more often. That means regular check-ins with managers, reviewing workloads, and finding smarter, simpler ways of working so people aren't running flat out. It also means building wellbeing planning into how we run the business day-to-day.

What would make the biggest difference?

I asked what would make the biggest difference to your wellbeing at work. Activities and events to look forward to topped the list. Close behind, you said that just knowing what support is already there would help just as much.

What this tells us is that the biggest gap isn't what we offer; it's whether people know about it. We already give every colleague a 24/7 GP line, free counselling sessions, a financial and legal advice line through Westfield Health, and the option to save with the Blue Light Card. Many of you don't seem to know these benefits exist, so we’ll ensure they’re more front-of-mind.

What it means for our approach:

For you: if you're not sure what support is already available, ask. Your manager, your Club Rep or email Ash, the Club Director.

For us as a business: before we launch anything new, we're doing a proper push on what already exists: posters, induction, reminders for when people need them. Money and physical energy also came up strongly, so we'll look at how we talk about the financial advice line too.

What you'd actually get involved in

Fundraising for causes that matter to us was the clear favourite. Awareness day activities came second. Talks, podcasts and a wellbeing forum were popular too, but as things to dip into rather than turn up to.

What this tells us is that you don't just want wellbeing done to you; you want to be part of it. Giving back matters as much as receiving support.

What it means for our approach: We need to build a fundraising calendar around the awareness days already on our radar: Mental Health Awareness Week, Movember, Menopause Awareness Month, World Mental Health Day. And since plenty of you want low-commitment, in-your-own-time options too, not everything will be an event, some of it will be a five-minute listen or read.

What you said in your own words

"Is there a way we could have something online, something the company as a whole can access, anytime? A chat style section, peer support area, info on where to access pages that can support people feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and lower than we would hope?"

"We would massively appreciate better temperature control of our office. That would make the biggest difference to my wellbeing at work."

"I think a cycle to work scheme would be good, but we need a cycle rack where our bikes would be secure."

"Extra time for training, wages."

"Stronger communication within the team, teamwork and staff support can make the biggest difference, in my opinion."

"I would like to see everyone coming together for a cause and getting to know everyone that are not in my service."

"As a new employee, knowing what support is already in place and how to be able to find and use them."

"I would go create more fun relationship at work, make life easy for everyone."

What happens next

This is the start of building something with you rather than for you. It would be great to set up a wellbeing forum where a group of you can shape what we actually do, help communicate what's already available through Westfield Health, and review the fundraising calendar for the upcoming awareness days.

If you’re interested, email me, and we’ll plan a session together.

Thanks, Ash