Case Study 7 - UCL School of Pharmacy

Managing Workload - ‘I can meet the requirements of my role without working excessive hours’

We were doing: Research from staff survey focus groups showed that many members of staff at the School of Pharmacy are accustomed to working very long hours on a regular basis without giving due consideration to their health, work life balance or general well-being.

You said: It is not possible to make well-being a priority when there is so much work to be done.

We did: the UCL School of Pharmacy held a Well Being Pledge campaign. Members of staff were asked to make a pledge of something that they could do for the month of September that would benefit their well-being. Each member of staff was asked to write their pledges down on a placard and have their picture taken holding their pledges. All the pledges were publicly displayed within the School and on the Staff Intranet. It was up to each member of staff to carry out their pledge to the best of their ability during the month of September.

Where are we now?: We are now in the month of September and staff members are completing their pledges. An evaluation of the pledge campaign will be made to measure its effect on staff perception of their ability to manage their own well-being.

This event has been part of a wider project which is the School of Pharmacy’s Well Being Initiative. The launch event will take place on 24th September which will provide staff with a wide range of opportunities to think about their well-being despite long working hours and increased demands.

The event will include an exhibition where there will be presentations from local health and well-being related organisations. There will also be a series of activities and seminars on the day including massage, gym classes, Health MOT’s, seminars on Mental Health awareness and a roundtable discussion on flexible working and how to make policy work for you.

What we plan to do next: Well Being events will continue to run periodically throughout the year to remind staff of the importance of taking care of their health and well-being which has a direct impact on productivity. The Well Being Pledge campaign will also be an annual event which will help keep staff motivated to continue to prioritise well-being in their daily work life.