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On your bike…Barnet relaunches Cycle to Work scheme
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Since the start of lockdown, cycling has seen a surge in popularity. For many people, cycling has been a great way to stay fit and healthy during lockdown...and beyond. For other people, cycling could be a preferable option to using public transport or getting stuck in car traffic.
Its Cycle2Work day on 6 August, which is very timely as Barnet has relaunched its Cycle2Work Scheme, delivered in partnership with Halfords. As a council, Barnet is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of staff.
Remember that a bike isn't just to use for getting to and from work; it's a great way to keep fit and complete local errands. We are also still advising that all staff should work from home unless it is essential to complete tasks in the office - read Chief Executive John Hooton's latest message on this here.
Under this scheme, you can apply for a voucher of up to £2,000 which can be used for the hire of equipment, including bikes from Halfords and their partners, Tredz and independent bike retailers. This is then recovered from your salary via a salary deduction arrangement.
Using the Cycle2Work bike scheme is a good opportunity to purchase a new bike, biking equipment, or to upgrade your existing bike or kit. This scheme is also covered by the HMRC Cycle2Work arrangements meaning that it is a tax efficient way of getting on the road.
The application window is open and will run up to 30 September 2020 initially. To help you decide whether you would be interested in signing up to this scheme, Halfords will be running two virtual roadshows on Tuesday 25 August at 11am and 3pm (lasting approximately 30 minutes) during which they will talk you through what is involved in the scheme. Further details will be released in due course.
For further details please visit the Cycle to Work page under Employee Benefits on the Intranet or email Employee.benefits@barnet.gov.uk.
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Focus on… Hadiya Masieh, Counter-Extremism Co-ordinator
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LGBTQ+ Staff Network to launch on Tuesday 11 August
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One of the strengths of Barnet’s response to COVID-19 has been our engagement with the diverse communities that make up Barnet’s population, and how we have worked together to make sure some of the most vulnerable and hard to reach groups haven’t suffered during the pandemic. This week, we caught up with Hadiya Masieh, our Counter-Extremism Co-ordinator based in the Strategy Team, to find out more about what has been happening:
Q. Your role is all about connecting with our communities. Why is that particularly important at this time?
A. Community organisations, especially those in communities who have been traditionally hard to reach or engage with, have needed extra support from the council during COVID-19. It has been important to make sure that we are engaging with them the best that we can and giving them that support they need. It has been fundamental to the council’s response that we do this at this point in time. We have been mapping the various organisations that exist across the borough, and encouraging groups to map themselves so that we can help them connect with each other and the council to maximise everyone’s efforts.
Q. What have you learnt about working with our communities during lockdown and how will this change the way you work in the future?
A. It has been really humbling and eye opening to see how resourceful and quick they have been to support the elderly and vulnerable within their community groups. Some set up their own food banks straight away, and it was extraordinary to watch how this all came together in a few days to make sure their communities were receiving the help they needed. I acted as a liaison point between some of the food banks and the Essential Supplies Hub, which did and is still doing an amazing job to make sure that food and resources were properly distributed to those that needed help.
Q. You are passionate about the importance of countering extremism, and the way to do that is by working together with our diverse communities. Can you tell us more about what work you have been doing in this space?
A. As Barnet’s Counter Extremism Co-ordinator, my day to day activity has involved engaging with a range of community organisations. It is important that we look to increase that involvement wherever possible. There was a great example recently of various communities coming together for positive change, when the Woodside Park Synagogue decided it wanted to have an in-depth debate with a range of key players following the Black Lives Matter protests. We had youth workers who work to empower young black men, equalities co-ordinators from Middlesex University and a range of other participants and it was great to see Barnet being so proactive in this space. We had more than 3,000 views of the virtual debate, and I think we are in this space because we have been so
involved with our local communities. At the end of the day, it is our communities that make us and we must keep up this engagement so that we can continue to do our jobs ever more effectively.
We conducted this interview with Hadiya on video via Microsoft Teams – watch the discussion in full here.
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For the duration of Pride Month in June, the rainbow flag flew from Hendon Town Hall. Throughout June, a number of events took place to support a more inclusive work environment, including for LGBTQ+ colleagues – beyond one awareness month.
Survey feedback from staff to the Barnet Equalities Allies (BEAs) had asked for other targeted groups within the structure of the BEAs to be available. A Women’s Network launched last month and now a LGBTQ+ Staff Network has been created.
Improvement and Engagement Manager in Adults and Health, Ella Goschalk, shares some insight into what some of the main objectives of the LGBTQ+ Staff Network are:
“In the five years I’ve worked at Barnet, there’s been a real increase in visibility in terms of LGBTQ+ issues, and I think this has made a big difference in how comfortable people feel about being ‘out’ at work. It has been great to see senior members of staff talking about their experiences of being LGBTQ+, and this is especially important when it comes to sexuality and gender identity, which might be more hidden parts of someone’s identity.
“Every LGBT+ person will have a different experience, and mine has been that colleagues are on the whole very inclusive and accepting of LGBTQ+ people. However, I have also found that some people make assumptions and comments that make it more difficult to be open, for example assuming the gender of someone’s partner, reacting with discomfort when someone talks about being LGBTQ+, or making jokes relating to gender identity.
“If we look across to other organisations, including other local authorities, we have some way to go on being vocal and proactive in our support for LGBTQ+ staff and residents, especially those who might be facing multiple barriers such as our trans and non-binary colleagues and residents.
“We are setting up an LGBTQ+ staff network to bring together staff, share experiences and work towards ensuring Barnet is inclusive, celebratory and supportive of LGBTQ+ staff and residents. Please come along if you are interested.”
The first LGBTQ+ meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 11 August at 3-4pm using this Microsoft Teams link. You can also email Ella Goschalk for further information on the network.
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September’s the time to hit the wellbeing refresh button
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Planning leave? This is what you need to consider
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The month of September is usually a time when people change up their routines, and refresh for the new season ahead.
Additionally, maybe working from home has played havoc with your eating habits, plus gyms and leisure centres are only just re-opening. The pressures and challenges presented to us both at work and home, by the coronavirus, might also have weakened your willpower to stick to a fitness regime.
However, hope is on the horizon. Feedback from the Workplace Wellbeing Month survey certainly showed there is an appetite across the business to have a renewed virtual focus on trying to lead a healthier lifestyle.
162 of you filled out the survey and also shared plenty of ideas on the type of events you would be prepared to take part in during Workplace Wellbeing Month in September. Some of these include: a walking or step challenge; yoga classes, healthy nutrition workshops and meditation guidance.
A total of 41% of those who completed the survey said that your physical health and wellbeing had got worse during lockdown while 35% of you said that your mental health and wellbeing had also deteriorated over the past four to five months. So Workplace Wellbeing Month is an opportunity to get started on improving your physical and mental wellbeing, knowing that many of your very own colleagues will be doing the same thing.
As well as physical challenges being a popular choice; quizzes and the work social initiative, Brewlettes, also featured in the survey feedback as things you would like to see more of.
Details on the programme of events for Workplace Wellbeing Month will be shared next week – please look out for information across our comms channels.
In the meantime, if you would like to get a head start on introducing some much needed social interaction to your healthy living resolutions – you can join the Brewlettes draw here and sign up to the Live Unlimited Fundraising quiz on Thursday 13 August - 5pm to 6.30pm here.
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It’s August, the time that many of us usually take some time off work to relax and enjoy some warmer weather. COVID-19 has changed our lives in many ways, but it is still important that we consider our health and wellbeing and book some annual leave, even if you’re not planning to leave the country. But what do you need to consider in a post-lockdown environment?
HR colleagues have this week published a document entitled ‘COVID-19 – Travelling Overseas’ with information for staff and managers around the planning of holidays. It sets out that the blanket quarantine advice introduced on 8 June has changed. A number of ‘travel corridors’ were announced on 3 July, with certain countries to which people living in the UK can travel without the need to quarantine on their return. However, it also recognises that the situation is dynamic and can change quickly (as with the lifting of the travel corridor with Spain on 26 July). So – advice is, where possible, if staff are required to quarantine on their return from leave, that they continue to carry out their duties working from home during the quarantine period. Where this is not possible due to the nature of their role then Barnet managers
are empowered to either agree additional paid leave (Quarantine Leave), or require staff to take a further period of annual leave to cover the quarantine period. This refers to LBB staff – staff working for The Barnet Group, Cambridge Education, CSG and Re should refer to their company policies.
There are a number of factors that managers should take into account when deciding on whether paid Quarantine Leave can be agreed, or not. The guidance can be read in full here.
If you aren’t planning to go away, and instead are thinking about a ‘stay-cation’ or just staying at home but not working, then this is a reminder of the current annual leave arrangements: CMT previously relaxed the carry-forward policy on annual leave so that more than five days could be carried forward from your 2019/20 entitlements, and have already agreed that up to 10 days will be able to be carried over at the end of the 2020/21 financial year. However, it is important that people try to spread out their leave over the course of the year, both to ensure regular breaks from work, and also to make sure that we have adequate staff at work at all times. You are encouraged to speak to your colleagues and manager about when you intend to take your leave, as there may be times later in the year when it will not be possible
for you to take any. You must take at least 20 days during this current financial year, as this is a legal requirement under the Working Time Directive. Book leave in liaison with your line manager through the HR Core portal.
Managers can seek advice on leave, quarantine or any other staffing matters by speaking to their HR Advisors or Business Partners.
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