Do
- Make it possible for staff to achieve a reasonable work-life balance by taking regular breaks, not working or emailing outside of their regular hours, and not coming into work when sick.
- Encourage managers to set a good example by doing the above themselves.
- Set realistic deadlines and allow staff to pace themselves.
- Actively observe colleagues and notice any unusual patterns.
- Deal with any concerns as soon as they arise.
- Offer staff rewards and incentives.
- Try to create an environment where people feel comfortable talking about stress, pressure, and mental health.
- Ensure staff know about the support that is available from the university and other organisations.
- Make any wellbeing activities inclusive and accessible for all staff.
- Ensure line managers encourage involvement in wellbeing activities.
- Provide time at work for colleagues to get together informally e.g. having a coffee as a team.
- Keep wellbeing activities fun.
Don’t
- Tolerate a negative workplace culture.
- Just provide tokenistic events. Events should be part of an embedded effort to foster an environment in which wellbeing is a priority.
- Minimise issues if someone opens up about them. What might seem small or trivial to one person might cause real distress for someone else.
- Treat staff differently if they have any sort of disability, mental health issues or long-term health conditions.
- Bombard people with information about wellbeing!
Academic Libraries and Wellbeing 