Mental Health Awareness Week – 9-15 May 2022

The Mental Health Foundation announced that the 2022 Mental Health Awareness Week will run from Monday 9 May until Sunday 15 May 2022. The week will explore the experience of loneliness, its effect on our mental health and how we can all play a part in reducing loneliness in our communities and workplaces. A new study commissioned by Mental Health UK which took place last month has been published and the details are covered below.

Loneliness affects millions of people in the UK every year and is a key driver of poor mental health.

Research has found that loneliness has been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic. MHF has been tracking loneliness levels in the UK during the pandemic and found the experience has been much higher with devastating impact. Loneliness has been an important factor contributing to higher levels of distress, resulting from people’s sense of isolation and reduced ability to connect with others.  Further findings were that loneliness was one of the leading issues that the public felt needed to be addressed.

The aim of Mental Health Awareness Week is to raise awareness of the impact of loneliness on people’s mental health and wellbeing and the practical steps that can be taken to address it.  Reducing loneliness is a major step towards a mentally healthy society.

Loneliness is affecting more and more of us in the UK and has had a huge impact on physical and mental health during the pandemic.  That’s why the loneliness theme was chosen for Mental Health Awareness Week 2022.  Making the connection with other people and the community and in the workplace is fundamental to protecting people’s mental health and finding ways of tackling the epidemic of loneliness. Everyone can play a part in this.  The week provides a valuable opportunity for people to talk about all aspects of mental health, with a focus on providing help and advice and we want CWU Reps to play an active part in that.

Loneliness and our mental health

Loneliness affects many of us at one time or another. We know that loneliness can be both the driver for and a product of poor mental health.

Our society is changing fast. The pandemic has given rise to a sense of loneliness and isolation undermining confidence in daily routines. In recent times, many of us have had far less access to loved ones.

Technology is enabling healthcare professionals to see more patients without the need to travel, but on the flip side of the coin, convenience and cost efficiencies are driving more and more activities online.

Our workplaces are also changing. With many adapting to home and hybrid working, we need to embrace this change while building and maintaining meaningful connections with our work colleagues.

Let’s Connect!

The message is – Let’s connectduring Mental Health Awareness Week, and together;

• Raise awareness of the links between poor mental health and loneliness
• Let’s talk – start the conversation and support each other
• Keep in touch with friends, family, colleagues
• Become a volunteer to support lonely people
• Every little bit counts in tackling loneliness, isolation, depression and distress and the barriers to making the connection.

We need you to:

1. Raise awareness

Help people to understand links between loneliness and poor mental health, and actively check in on those around you at work and in your communities.

2. Start the conversation

Foster conversations about mental health – see attached conversation guide ‘talking to someone about mental health.’

3. Volunteer your time

Every little bit counts.

4. Offer assistance and support

To those in need of advice, representation or sign-posting to professional help or counselling etc.

Mental Health UK New Research into loneliness at work – Loneliness and our mental health at work (Mental Health UK/YouGov Study) – 1 in 5 workers feel lonely at work 

Mental Health UK teamed up with ‘YouGov’ to learn more about how loneliness is affecting workers in Great Britain right now by getting a snapshot into British workers’ experiences of loneliness at work right now. The study which was conducted last month (April 2022) involved a sample size of 2,023 adults about their experiences of loneliness in the workplace, and how it could affect their mental health. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+). The report includes some practical guidance on how to tackle loneliness in your workplace.

Loneliness can affect many of us at one time or another and we can encounter it in different walks of life. One in five workers feel lonely at work on a typical working day. This report contains information about loneliness at work, how loneliness can affect our mental health, and practical advice for supporting work colleagues who may be experiencing loneliness.

UK Society and workplaces have changed in recent years. Employers and work colleagues have embraced flexible ways of working for the better, allowing for greater face time with friends, family, and housemates outside of work – but what has this meant for our connections at work?

What is loneliness?

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), ‘loneliness’ is “the pain we feel when our social connections do not meet our needs”, while ‘social isolation’ is “the state of having a smaller number of social contacts, which may contribute to loneliness.”

Loneliness affects many people at one time or another. The research found that one in five (20%) workers feel lonely at work on a typical working day.  We know that loneliness can be both the driver for and a product of poor mental health. Almost a quarter of workers (23%) agreed that feeling lonely at work has affected their mental health.

Talking about loneliness at work

When asked about the factors that could prevent them from talking about loneliness at work, 53% agreed ‘Lack of own time or capacity within work hours to discuss this with others’, while 50% agreed that ‘a culture at work which does not actively encourage people to talk about mental health’and ‘feeling that my line manager or senior leader does not have time to meet with me, or won’t be able to support me’ as key reasons that could prevent them from opening up about the topic at work.  Mental Health UK state that they know it can often feel tricky to know how to approach a chat about mental health at work, or to find the ‘right’ words once you do. MHUK have produced a “Conversation Guide” designed to help in this respect (copy attached).

How do you start a mental health conversation?

Find a quiet place with an informal atmosphere where possible. A conversation about mental health shouldn’t feel like a formal interview. Actively listen to the person by giving them your undivided attention. Leave any questions or comments until the person has finished, so you don’t interrupt them. Follow the attached MHUK guide.

Home and hybrid working

During the pandemic, some workers were encouraged to work from home unless they could not do so like the majority of CWU members. Just under half of British workers (46%) have a fixed working location (such as an office), while 23% are ‘hybrid’ or ‘agile’ workers (i.e. a mixture of home and location-based working), 18% are home-based (i.e. working from home full-time), and 9% are field-based (i.e. based away from home, but at a variety of locations). Regionally, fixed location working is most common in the Midlands (54%), home working is most common in Wales (23%) and hybrid or agile working is most common in London (35%).

Supporting younger workers

Those aged 18-24 are twice as likely to feel lonely at work than others (39% vs 18%). In fact, the older the age group the researchers spoke to, the lower their likelihood of feeling lonely in the workplace.  41% of 18–24-year-old workers and 30% of 25–34-year-old workers agreed that loneliness at work has affected their mental health, in contrast to 17% of those aged 45-54 and 15% of those aged 55+.  Workers aged 45-54 feel most confident letting colleagues know when they’re feeling lonely or isolated at work (49%), while 59% of workers aged 18-24 do not feel confident letting colleagues know when they’re feeling lonely or isolated at work – just 34% do.  39% agreed that ‘insensitivity from other colleagues around culture and faith’ could impact on their mental health at work.

Loneliness and the factors which may impact mental health

When asked about the factors which could impact on peoples’ mental health at work,

• 45% of British workers agreed that ‘lack of contact time with my immediate team’ could,
• 43% agreed that ‘the cost of engaging with my colleagues physically’ could, and
• 42% agreed that ‘lack of contact time with my line manager or senior leader’ could.

Younger workers agreed more strongly that lack of contact time with colleagues could impact on their mental health at work.

• 54% of workers aged 25-34 agreed ‘lack of contact time with their line manager or senior leader’ could impact on their mental health at work.
• 55% of workers aged 18-24 and aged 25-34 agreed ‘lack of contact time with their immediate team’ could impact on their mental health at work.
• 52% of workers aged 18-24 agreed ‘lack of contact time with colleagues outside of their immediate team’ could impact on their mental health at work.
• 49% of workers aged 18-24 and aged 25-34 agreed ‘lack of physical space to work from and/or meet colleagues (e.g. an office) ’could impact on their mental health at work.

Attachments:

• Mental Health UK – Mental Health Awareness Week Poster 1
• Mental Health UK – Mental Health Awareness Week/CWU Poster 2
• Mental Health UK – Mental Health Awareness Week – Lets Connect Flyer
• Mental Health UK – Conversation Guide: Talking to someone about mental health can be tricky. This Guide helps in how to have that first chat about mental health, or to find the ‘right’ words once you do.

Samaritans

For people in distress and urgently needing someone to talk to, Samaritans will listen, won’t judge or tell a person what to do, will offer help, support and guidance 24/7.  Members can call them any time, day or night – whatever they’re going through, they can call Samaritans any time, from any phone for FREE. CALL 116 123.

Our thanks to the Mental Health Foundation, MIND, Samaritans and Mental Health UK.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

22LTB219 Mental Health Awareness Week – 9-15 May 2022

MH awareness week campaign poster (MIND)

MH Week poster(2)

MHAW-2022-Lets-Connect-flyer

Mental-Health-UK-Coversation-Guide-Talking-to-someone-about-mental-healt…

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FUTURE OF CATERING

Branches are informed that that the department has been in discussion with Royal Mail since Autumn 2021 in relation to their vision of what catering within Royal Mail Group will look like in the future.

You will be aware that many assurances were given in relation to Royal Mail’s commitment to subsidised catering at the time of the Dissolution of the Quadrant Joint Venture in September 2020. However, it has become evident that in the period since the dissolution of the Joint Venture the commercial reality driven by the Covid pandemic has fundamentally reset the bar with regard to canteen usage. During the period where social distancing measures were in place across workplaces, there were huge restrictions on the level of service that could be offered and reduced numbers in workplaces resulted in a significant decline in footfall. Unfortunately, as restrictions have been reduced or removed, catering performance has not returned to pre-Covid levels.

To some degree, this may be down to the fact that our members were forced to find alternative catering outlets during the Covid period and that these have now become the norm. In addition, some sites changing working practices, i.e. home working arrangements for some Royal Mail employees, has also had a huge impact.

Given the above, it quickly became apparent that the business was focussing on a further review of the level of service provision at a number of sites. Through discussions, it was clear that the focus and scope of this review was more far-reaching than in previous reviews, where the focus had been solely on Delivery-based breakfast bars and that the intention for this review was to analyse all current catered units, including Mail Centre canteens.

Therefore, the basis on which the department entered these discussions was that we would not be agreeing to service reduction or site closures centrally and that any proposals that the business wished to formally submit at the end of the process would be progressed through the IR Framework. The CWU has maintained throughout discussions that we would not accept a generic approach to the reduction of service and would want the opportunity to work through and fully consider each separate proposal on the respective merits.

While maintaining the above principle with regard to proposals made by Royal Mail, we believed that it would be prudent to engage with them in order to ensure that a process is in place for the consultation activity they will be undertaking.

The department have therefore held several meetings over recent months reviewing the Royal Mail proposals and have worked through all the data per unit to further understand the impact of any proposed change and what this would mean for our members, both in Eurest and Royal Mail. This process has proved beneficial and the department has had some success in amending the original Royal Mail plan.

On 9^th May 2022, Royal Mail formally notified Eurest / Compass of the changes that they were considering and released comms in relation to the commencement of the consultation activity at sites, the content of which is copied at Annex A for your information.

The proposed rollout plan is also attached for information (Annex B) and this will include a regional online session with Divisional and local representatives to ensure everyone has the same information, as the rollout plan is not regionally based. Then locally, discussions will take place with the CWU in relation to their individual unit. This will involve the sharing of all sales and footfall data on which Royal Mail have based their proposals, which will enable the local representatives to counter propose any changes to their unit.

We have also concluded and agreed a dispute process for the activity, which is attached for information (Annex C). This varies from the standard agreed DRP process within the IR Framework, as local operational Royal Mail Management have no authority to change the decision. The revised process ensures that each stage of the process is meaningful and to assist with these discussions a member of the Royal Mail project team, who has the authority to overturn the business decision, will be present at each stage of the process.

Given the potential impacts with regard to headcount reduction in catering units, discussions have also taken place with Eurest to understand and ensure the correct process of workforce planning takes place with our Eurest members, which has been confirmed.

The department will be available to support Representatives and Branches, if required, during the consultation period.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: dwyatt@cwu.orgquoting reference: 311.02.

Yours sincerely,

Davie Robertson

Assistant Secretary

LTB 218/22 – Future of Catering

Annex A – CONTENT OF ROYAL MAIL COMMS 9TH MAY 2022

Annex B – Phasing

Annex C – Catering DRP

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A great live Q&A with DGSP Terry Pullinger tonight.

Please share the links of the recording.

Facebook https://fb.watch/cV9-MjGygn/

Twitter https://twitter.com/cwunews/status/1523724547312078848?s=21&t=6E_X-oEdeQ7LcLSsXvJuaQ

YouTube https://youtu.be/odl2yyeThQQ

CONSULTATION REMINDER: FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH IN THE NON-RECOGNISED SECTOR

Consultation link: https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90445009/Securing-the-future-of-the-CWU

The purpose of this LTB is to remind Branches which have not already done so to please complete and share the above consultation, which was originally sent in LTB 157/22 on 4th April.

In line with conference policy we have launched a major listening and engagement exercise within every region to encourage thinking about the barriers we face when it comes to organising in areas where CWU doesn’t yet have recognition and to share ideas about how we can best make changes to overcome these. Input is welcomed from every branch, officer and representative.

The future of the CWU as a strong, independent trade union ultimately depends not only on our ability to recruit and retain members where we have recognition but also on prioritising efforts to identify areas for new membership growth and broader union expansion where there is currently no union recognition.

Work will continue, following March’s National GROW Campaign, to ensure that an ongoing culture of recruitment and organising is embedded across all union structures and remains a high priority. Follow-ups to ensure the 13 Measures of Success workbooks are being completed as required by all branches will also provide the union centrally with a wealth of invaluable data and information to help us further shape what ‘future-proofing’ the CWU really needs to look like.

The consultation link will remain live until Friday 10th June, at which point we will collate all responses and present a report of the findings and draft proposals to the NEC, before holding a National Briefing to present these union-wide. Please take 10 minutes as soon as possible over the next month to complete the consultation, have your say, and share the link with any and all interested parties within your branch for their input too.

For any questions in relation to the contents of this LTB please email: rodept@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

RAY ELLIS
Head of Recruitment, Organising & Membership Growth

LTB 217/22 – CONSULTATION REMINDER- FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH IN THE NON-RECOGNISED SECTOR

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POST OFFICE: PAY DISPUTE 2021/22 – NATIONAL BRIEFING

Branches are advised that a National Briefing to discuss the current legal trade dispute and the status of negotiations with Post Office will be held as follows:

Tuesday 17th May

12:00 – 2:30pm

Birmingham & District Amal Branch Office

47 Summer Lane, Hockley, Birmingham B19 3TH

The meeting will receive a report on the initial strike day – 3rd May and an update on the current position along with next steps.  A Q&A session will be held.

The following Representatives are invited:

• Branch Secretaries with Post Office members
• Regional Secretaries & Political Officers
• One Divisional Rep from each Division
• Supply Chain Unit Reps (both Cash Centres and Depots)
• Full-time Post Office Reps

The primary objective of the briefing will be to discuss how we can focus our attention on how best to engage with the media and politicians with the aim of raising the profile of the dispute beyond the Post Office.  This approach is in accordance with the following policy contained within Emergency Motion E4 carried at Postal Conference:

“Branches will also ensure that they instigate local campaigning activities in regard to media and politicians to support the aims of the dispute.”

I’m pleased to advise that the Comms Team will also be on hand to provide our Reps with tips, help and any support they may need when engaging with the local press, as well as giving an overview of media engagement in general.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey

Assistant Secretary

LTB 216/22 – Post Office – Pay Dispute 2021-22 National Briefing

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Royal Mail & CWU National Joint Communication Parcel Collect Enhancements – May 2022

As Branches will be aware, Royal Mail faces increasing competition both in the letters and parcels market which is dependent on the future success of Royal Mail to offer customers products that meet current and future needs, excellent customer quality of service, and value for money. Royal Mail and CWU are jointly committed to securing this objective by working together to understand and achieve industry leading performance in all aspects of delivery and collection, along with providing job security and improved terms and conditions for employees.

Having launched the Parcel Collect service in October 2020, Royal Mail is seeking to grow the product through improvements to the experience for both the customer and Delivery OPG’s. These improvements focus on making the service a more appealing way for our customers to post their parcels and to be made as easy as possible for our frontline Delivery OPG’s to carry out.

Currently, Royal Mail have 3 initiatives taking place regarding Parcel Collect:

• A PDA update to provide a highlighted LABEL icon against collections and items which have a Bring My Label request
• Technology changes to enable customers to access Parcel Collect through their own online portals, starting with Amazon
• Championing Parcel Collect initiative – OPG’s that perform Customer Service Point (CSP) roles will be asked to issue to customers a leaflet around Parcel Collect and where possible or as necessary to have a short, informal conversation with customers when they post parcels at the CSP to ensure they are aware that Parcel Collect maybe an option for them

Deployment & Process

PDA Update 

The label icon PDA update will be live in the May PDA software release.  This update sees no change to process, and as such there is no WTLL or training material specific to this change, however existing material (e.g. WPC training material, SOPs) have been updated to reflect the change. This process improvement has been developed with Workplace Coaches and in response to feedback from delivery OPG’s. 

Technology Changes To Enable Customers To Use Their Own Booking System Portal 

Amazon will be the first customer to utilise the new system and will begin to use it on a small scale (c.1k items/week) from 25^th April 2022. This will increase to c.32k items per day, which is an average of 1 parcel per walk every other day. However, there is currently a small technical issue which could result in some collections potentially appearing out of sequence on the PDA, if they materialise, they will appear at the front of the list and a solution is being developed for this potential issue. A WTLL brief has been shared which outlines the importance of checking all jobs at the start of the day to ensure none are missed.

Championing Parcel Collect 

In June a stock of leaflets will be sent to every CSPs and those who perform CSP roles are requested to hand out the leaflets to customers for those who require more information. This can, where necessary be supported by a short and informal conversation with the customer whilst dropping off Parcels. A WTLL brief will be shared which contains a script, together with a ‘frequently asked question’ reference sheet to help answer common questions from customers, and a role play video. In advance of the arrival of leaflets at CSPs sites and from the 9^th May, those who perform CSP roles can, when possible and necessary, draw to customer’s attention the Parcel Collection service via a short and informal conversation.

Review/ Summary

Royal Mail and the CWU both understand the importance of being able to offer doorstep collections service to customers as it provides convenience, leading to a positive shopping experience, and growing parcel volumes which assist in securing the future of Royal Mail. Royal Mail will share key measures at regular meetings with the CWU at National level and both parties will work together on the planning of future enhancements.

Any queries to the content of the above please contact the Outdoor Department reference 532, email address: njones@cwu.org

Yours sincerely, 

Mark Baulch                

CWU Assistant Secretary

LTB 214/22 – Joint Communication Parcel Collect Enhancements May 2022

Royal Mail & CWU National Joint Communication Parcel Collect Enhancements – May 2022

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