4 February was #TimetoTalkDay - run by Time to Change to help spread the word that you can talk about mental health anywhere – including at work. We asked our employees to complete the sentence 'It's time to talk because...'. Although at RHP Group we try to talk all year round, it's a good reminder that choosing to talk and listen can change lives and shape experiences: especially in this strange new world.
It's so important to provide our employees with tools that help them feel empowered, connected and healthy. We worked with our Mind Matters Champions to support Samaritans' Brew Monday campaign, giving our mental health a boost by reaching out and staying connected. We kicked off with a virtual 'Tea and Talk' session where people could pop in to catch up and chat with people they might not have seen for a while. We also shared tips and tricks on how to spot when someone might need support with their mental health. In the afternoon we enjoyed some virtual yoga to help us de-stress and stay focused.
RHP Group has achieved Investors in People Platinum for the second time! The Platinum accreditation, which we first gained in 2018, is the highest award in leadership, people management and culture an organisation can achieve. We’re proud to be in this elite group, as only 2% of organisations in the UK have achieved Platinum status and even fewer have attained it twice. The IIP report states: “Passion, purpose, collaboration, excellence, family, innovation and trust are words used regularly at RHP and people are proud to work there. Values are understood and embedded into strategic discussions, team planning, performance management, recruitment and how people are recognised. It’s about people working together and understanding the needs of customers, colleagues and stakeholders by doing the best job they can”.
Keeping both our customers and our people safe is our top priority so this news is particularly meaningful for us: we've received a Five Star grading in our British Safety Council’s Occupational Health and Safety Audit. During this audit process our management, employees and other stakeholders were interviewed to confidentially discuss aspects of occupational health and safety relevant to their roles and responsibilities. The auditor also assessed the effectiveness of these activities through an inspection of relevant sites and assessment of day-to-day operational activities. This result comes at a time where we continue to heavily invest in customer health and safety measures, with a new sprinkler installation programme currently being rolled out on one of our major estates.
One of our big goals last year was to build our brand as an inspiring place to work. We were proud to achieve a five-star Glassdoor rating just before the New Year⭐ 🎉
One of our big goals last year was to build our brand as an inspiring place to work. We were so proud to achieve a five-star Glassdoor rating just before the New Year ⭐🎉
Our Christmas elves posted a special festive thank you pack to all employees for all their fantastic work in 2020. Despite a challenging year, everyone's adapted brilliantly to new ways of working whilst keeping our estates clean and safe and supporting our customers. Because giving back is extra important at this time of year, one of the gifts comes from Stand for Socks, who give a pair of socks to a homeless person for every pair bought (the most requested item by homeless shelters).
At the start of lockdown back in March we introduced Friday Connect: a series of weekly challenges designed to help employees connect with our purpose and each other. Over 100 people joined in with Friday Connect in its first month, and activities included Countdown, Name That Tune, an Easter egg hunt and a Back to School quiz. We still connect with each other once a month, and October's offering was frightfully good. Bingo is an RHP favourite, so this time we dressed for the occasion to give it a spooky twist! 🎃👻🦇
Our Black History Month celebrations finished on a high with a talk given to us by Roger Griffith - MBE. Roger, who’s an inclusion and diversity thought leader, talked about topics including: the importance of representation, how all organsations can be more inclusive and the meaning behind historically problematic statues. Additionally, we had over 25 different conversations via our internal social media channels, Yammer. The conversations ranged from the power of language through to what key terms involving race mean. It was great to see how more and more employees from across the business felt empowered to get involved as the month went on. Our aim is to make sure we’re having conversations like this every month, not just in Black History month. We have lots of plans in the pipeline, led by our Inclusion Network and we look forward to sharing more details in the near future.
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