Health and Well-being - Annual Leave - note from Permanent Secretary
From: Mike Brennan
Date: 25 June 2020
To: All DfE Staff
Mental wellbeing and Work life balance
In the last few months, we have all had to adapt to a different way of working which has been challenging for us all.
The recent Pulse Survey explored how staff were finding working in this new environment and I wrote to you on 8 June to provide an update on the results. In that note I advised that as part of the focus for the Department in the coming year, three work streams would be established in response to the survey findings, including Mental Wellbeing and Work life balance.
I will write to you again shortly as to how this work will be taken forward in the long term along with immediate actions which we will take.
Your health and wellbeing of paramount importance
Your health and wellbeing is of paramount importance to the Department and particularly so at this challenging time. You are our most important resource and are the key to the Department being able to continue to deliver its essential services to our citizens. The difficulties some staff are facing juggling both home and work demands is evidenced in the recent survey comments.
This is an issue which I and my senior colleagues are aware of through our close working with our various teams. We do not under-estimate the challenges that working at home presents in the current environment.
Avail of your annual leave entitlement
Recent statistics show that there has been a large reduction in the amount of annual leave taken in DfE compared to last year and this concerns me. It suggests that some of us are not having a proper break from work and taking the time out to re-charge ourselves. To this end and to support the ongoing programme of work in relation to staff wellbeing and work life balance, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you to avail of your annual leave entitlement to support your wellbeing.
With most of us working from home and certain restrictions in place, some of you may not wish to take leave at this point. In some circumstances due to work commitments you may feel you cannot take leave at this time. Working from home also means the distinction between home and work is not quite as clear and can often become blurred.
Therefore, I must stress that it is more important than ever that we all have an appropriate break from work to maintain our wellbeing and resilience. It is important that you feel that you can take your leave to do so.
Ensure you take a break
I would encourage you all, in the coming weeks and months, to ensure you take a break from work to rest and spend time with family and friends, particularly as the current restrictions start to ease.
Those of you who are managers, I ask that you lead by example and also take your leave. You should support and promote wellbeing in your teams and ensure all staff are availing of their annual leave entitlement.
You should review and remind staff of their remaining leave entitlement. I encourage you to be sympathetic and flexible towards leave requests and allow this where business can support it. I would not expect annual leave to be refused or cancelled unless there was no other viable option and only as a last resort.
Policy and guidance
The normal annual leave rules will apply in relation to staff who are prevented from taking annual leave. I would, however, expect this to be the exception. The Annual Leave policy can be accessed at - Annual Leave Policy.
I have included below the link to the COVID 19 Information, Guidance and FAQs which cover a wide range of staffing matters such as absence, annual and special leave. These are updated regularly and I would encourage you to read them.
There is also a COVID 19 Health and Wellbeing hub covering a range of useful guidance and support for staff. NICSHR L&D has also introduced two new learning bundles on LInKS which offer a range of resources including webinars and e-learning material to support mental health wellbeing and remote working. These bundles can be accessed below:
I hope you find this useful. I would also like to again thank you all for the hard work and commitment you continue to show during this challenging period.
Mike Brennan
Permanent Secretary