WINTEC Puts Focus on Staff Wellbeing

With more than 800 staff members, the holistic wellbeing of its people is paramount for the Waikato Institute of Technology (WINTEC). 

“We want to engage our staff through a strong safety and wellbeing culture,” says Angela Messam, People & Culture Business Partner. “Joining the accreditation journey through WorkWell holds us accountable to do that.”

WINTEC has identified mental health and wellbeing as a priority area. It has introduced initiatives in this area to increase mental health knowledge, reduce stigmatizing attitudes and promote help-seeking behaviour.

The institute offers Mental Health First Aid training to its staff, students and community.  Participants learn how to assist someone experiencing mental health distress, developing a mental illness, or going through a mental health crisis. On completion of these two-day workshops, interested staff members can become Mental Health First Aid Responders.  WINTEC now has 42 trained Mental Health First Aid Responders across their campuses.

WINTEC has also developed a Prevention of and Response to Family Violence policy.  This includes an e-learning module to help staff understand the policy. Twenty staff members have been trained as Family Violence Responders to support staff and students experiencing family violence.

An online learning module for all managers recognises the key role they play in the creation of a positive and safe working environment. The module highlights managers’ roles and responsibilities in preventing bullying and harassment behaviours, and in addressing these behaviours should they arise. Anti-bullying and Harassment workshops and online modules are also available for all staff.

Supporting Breastfeeding in the Workplace

A workplace that is actively supportive of breastfeeding can make a real difference for staff returning to work after being on parental leave. 

Hayley Adamson returned to work when her baby, Ollie, was 9 months old.

“Knowing my workplace was actively supportive of breastfeeding made preparing to return to work that much easier and gave me the confidence to continue to breastfeed him,” says Hayley. 

“My workplace had a flexible work policy which allowed me to take the time I needed to express or breastfeed. I simply expressed breastmilk once a day or had my partner bring Ollie into my workplace around lunchtime,” she says. 

Hayley’s workplace had several private rooms with breastfeeding signage, that everyone was familiar with, to put on the door.

Your workplace can provide support for staff who breastfeed in four simple steps:

• Good communication – have a conversation with staff who are about to go on parental leave about the support that is in place for them when they return if they wish to breastfeed or express breastmilk at work.
• Time – provide staff extended breaks (paid or unpaid) during work to breastfeed or express breastmilk on- or off-site.
• Space – provide staff a comfortable and private area to breastfeed or express.
• Support – encourage a supportive and co-operative culture amongst managers and colleagues.

Learn more about supporting breastfeeding in the workplace.

Tops Tips for Hand Hygiene

Small simple steps like hand washing can go a long way to keeping COVID-19 at bay. So, “Wash often. Use soap. 20 seconds. Then dry.” Doing this will kill the virus by bursting its protective bubble.

Your workplace can encourage good hand hygiene in several ways:

• Provide clean hand washing facilities and ensure they are well stocked with soap and paper towels.
• Provide hand sanitiser that contains at least 60% alcohol (this is the best option when soap and water aren’t nearby). Have hand sanitizer stations at entry and exit points and around the workplace.
• Clean surfaces at least daily (Review your cleaning roster). Frequently touched area such as escalator handrails, elevator control panels or door knobs should be cleaned more often. 
• Put up posters with instructions on how to wash hands.

Source: Worksafe - Mahi Haumaru Aotearoa