Work, Rest and Play

National Beacon Award winning New College Stamford have received their fair share of accolades of late and are celebrating once again with the news that they have been awarded the Investors in People-Work-Life Balance Award.

The accolade acknowledges how well the College allows staff to effectively manage responsibilities at home and in the workplace and provides a number of support and activities to facilitate this.

The pressure of an increasingly demanding work environment in the UK is perhaps the biggest and most pressing challenge to the physical and mental health of the general population. The cumulative effect of increased working hours is having an important effect on the lifestyle of a huge number of people, which is likely to prove damaging to their general well-being.

 To help combat this New College Stamford has introduced an array of initiatives to help and support staff through the challenges and pressures of work. These include a health fair, aromatherapy and massage sessions, health eating workshops and a number of keep fit days and all have been gratefully received by staff.

 HR Officer Carol Hargreaves, who led some of the many outstanding initiatives at New College Stamford explained the award process; "A good work-life balance can be hard to achieve but we are working hard to get there. The Investors in People assessors visited the College and for two days rigorously reviewed how well we are developing our work-life balance strategy."

 Carol added;“They recognised how well we help staff to understand and utilise all the supportive things that the College does and we are delighted to an Investor in People Work-Life Balance Organisation.”