HR Update

Mid-Year Appraisal BlueSky – An opportunity for a personal check-in

We’re now mid-year point and appraisal reviews will be taking place.  Please do take the opportunity to discuss your wellbeing with your reviewer as part of this meeting; this aspect has been explicitly incorporated to support you with any specific difficulties or, merely as a means of checking on general wellness and strategies to improve or sustain this.  Please also see our West Staff Portal Health and Wellbeing area for information related to Confidential Counselling, Able Futures (personalised mental health support), Wellbeing Action Plans, personal resilience and other useful resources. The email address and password is available from your local admin office or HR@westst.org.uk.  And, don’t forget to also let us have your confidential views via the West Staff Survey!

Maintaining Staff in WeST Schools and Business Units Safely – Covid-19

Please find attached a slightly updated version of this guidance document, which now references the (new) third way a member of staff can be identified as CEV through the COVID-19 Population Risk Assessment. The guidance related to CEV staff remains unchanged for the moment, in so far as remaining away from work, until such time as national advice changes. The guidance for CV staff, or others who consider themselves to be more vulnerable also remains in place; which is to discuss any worries or concerns with your line manager within the context of the Risk Assessment in place at your setting and, if appropriate, an individual Risk Assessment to address specific issues.

Staff Status Form

The HR Team are working on a refreshed version of this form taking into account recent contextual changes and this will be rolled out shortly. As part of this roll-out staff will be asked to complete a new form, and to update their status each time there is a change. The new form also asks you to indicate your vaccination status. This is an optional question and responses will only be used to inform safe systems of work across the Trust including the wider reopening toolkit.  Summary data only will be used to update WeST Trustees, trade unions and other stakeholders as appropriate and no personal information or location will be shared with them. The roll-out will commence shortly and a further update will follow in next week’s Whistle. 

Update on the Employer Referral Portal

As an employer who is registered to use the Employer Referral Portal (ERP), we have been notified that it will be decommissioned shortly.  From Friday 26 February 2021, essential workers who are self-isolating either because they or members of their household have coronavirus symptoms should book tests directly via the self-referral portal, please click here. To ensure, as part of the education workforce, you receive a prioritised slot, please tick the relevant box on the self-referral portal to indicate your status.  

Joss Davis, HR Director

Wellbeing for Education Return – new webinar and supporting resources for all education staff

There are new and updated Wellbeing for Education Return resources available for staff who do not have access to locally adapted training and support. These include a short, recorded webinar - 'Every interaction matters'. It introduces a simple framework for promoting wellbeing, resilience and mental health, building on staff’s existing roles, skills and personal qualities. 

This sits alongside the original Wellbeing for Education Return content covering issues such as bereavement, loss, anxiety, stress and trauma and signposting to free information and resources for education staff, children and young people, parents and carers.

For more information, click here.