Pepper European Servicing

Wellbeing at Pepper

As a business, we have always been committed to the wellbeing of our people, demonstrated through our ongoing investment in a varied program of activities, including monthly mental health training sessions, all-staff resilience sessions, training employees to be Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) who host drop-in clinics for colleagues, and the introduction of Wellbeing Days.  Though daily office interactions, you easily see when somebody has not turned up and it can be easy to spot someone who is struggling.  It is also easier give these people passive and direct signposting to the support available through our Employee Assistance Program (posters, easily identifiable MHFA colleagues, email communications or direct referrals etc.)  However, as the Coronavirus pandemic has resulted in more than 95% of our people becoming homeworkers, we recognised the challenge to maintain connections with our people  and decided to increase our investment so we could step up our wellbeing support and continue to look after members of the Pepper Family in a new way.

How Govox is supporting wellbeing at Pepper

Our enhanced approach is based on three themes; Wellbeing, Connections and Leadership.   Within three weeks, we launched People Matter, a cross-jurisdictional easy-to-use online site for all PES colleagues to access support, information, competitions, training and other wellbeing resources.  Parallel to this, we partnered with Govox to check in with our people on a regular basis.  We were delighted at the speed and ease of implementation and launch, and our staff have responded positively to this extra opportunity to flag up if they are having concerns.  The check-in results complement our “Ask HR” drop-in clinics which we had adapted from an office setting to hosting online; we have developed a list of employees from self-referrals and flagged Govox responses that we proactively speak with on a one-to-one basis at least once a week.

Additionally, we have found the increased range of Coronavirus-focused surveys that Govox is offering very beneficial.  From a commercial perspective, we believe the offering is very competitive for the value it adds to ensuring that we remain connected with our people to support their wellbeing whilst working remotely.

Results so far

As a part of a multi-disciplinary approach to managing mental health in the workplace in extraordinary times, it is clear that a healthy workforce does not just happen; it has to be carefully nurtured and nudged using micro steps to achieve a succession of milestones. The partnership with Govox has being a key milestone for us – their solution is a very visible way to continue demonstrating our ongoing commitment to our most important asset… our people. Knowing that we have invested in the tool because you care about their wellbeing has significantly contributed to employee engagement and we have seen strong uptake. We were delighted that the first week’s results measured a company happiness score of 21 out of 25, and the comments help to show that our activities are meeting the needs of most employees.

Pepper’s commitment to good mental health is not new, however the prevailing changes in the world over the last couple of months have meant that in order to continue our already very strong offering, we needed to consider how we made available opportunities and choices to our people to access both resources and support in the pursuit of wellbeing. It was simply not acceptable for us to let that sustained commitment slide during the ongoing Coronavirus crisis, when our people need more support than ever. This is why the check-in tool offered by Govox is absolutely essential to help us remain connected with our people while we are all socially distanced, when we are acutely aware that many may be suffering from significantly-increased stress levels than usual. Pepper is proud to partner with Govox in the pursuit of good mental health and regular engagement with our people.

Claire Lish, Director of Human Resources, Pepper UK