The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is delighted to announce it has been shortlisted for the Health and Wellbeing and Leader of the Year categories at the Investors in People Awards 2022.
Dr David Staples, Chief Executive of UGLE, said: 'Over the past few years, UGLE has put enormous effort into understanding, and supporting, the health and wellbeing of its staff. It is great to see that hard work has been recognised by Investors in People. Through these troubling times, we will continue to look after our most precious asset, those men and women who keep our organisation working and serve our 200,000 members.'
Dr Staples, who became CEO in 2018, has also been named a finalist in Investors in People – Leader of the Year up to 250 category. Since being appointed, he has worked tirelessly to create a positive and pleasant work environment, where staff enjoy coming into work.
Also competing for the Health and Wellness Award, the HR department has implemented a comprehensive strategy to ensure employees feel highly valued within the organisation. This has included:
- The creation of a staff committee, made up of employees nominated by staff, who share any concerns or recommendations from staff directly into the HR Director and CEO;
- The introduction of an Employee Assistance Programme, with access to a health e-hub and gym membership;
- Provision of free fruit for the office to encourage staff to think about their eating habits;
- Implementation of flexible working;
- Appointment of four mental health departmental champions available for staff who need a friendly ear, support and advice;
- Organising annual Mental Health Week and Learning at Work week events with high levels of engagement from staff;
- The introduction of new organisational values, a revamped appraisal system, and a new recognition and reward scheme.
In addition managers and senior team members are trained and equipped to deal with difficult and challenging situations and with the support of HR, ensure staff are supported, recognised and given relevant help and guidance where required.
In a recent Back to Work survey following Covid-19 sent by the HR department to staff, 84% agreed that they has access to the things they need to succeed when working from home, and 86% agree that they are just as productive working from home as they are at Freemasons’ Hall.
Elizabeth Gay, Director of Human Resources, said: 'I am passionate about health and wellbeing and the benefits of having a defined strategy and one that supports and fosters our culture and values. As an organisation, we are committed to providing a healthy working environment and improving the quality of working lives for all members of staff. I am absolutely delighted that UGLE is a finalist in the Health and Wellbeing awards category and proves that our hard work in this area has been recognised.'
This is an enormous achievement in such a short space of time, during a period where a major restructure is taking place centred on delivering improved services for members. In addition a new internal communications department was created, which is focussed on improving and implementing communications between its 100 employees.
UGLE were originally awarded Investors in People accreditation in 2018 shortly after Dr Staples’ appointment and was accredited at ‘Developed Level’ until 2021. The winners will be announced on the 24 November.
