Emily creates outsourced city wellbeing department
HR expert urges firms to sign up to protect their staff’s mental health
A PORTSMOUTH woman has created the city’s first fully managed, outsourced wellbeing department – and she is urging firms to sign up to protect their staff’s mental health.
Emily Alexander, an HR expert from Hilsea, has set up the business called The Joy Dept.
She was inspired to set up The Joy Dept after battling with her own mental health and not receiving the right support from her employers.
She said: ‘This led to worsening mental health. I don’t want anyone else to suffer.’
Emily has created the website thejoydept.co.uk where she has been sharing her knowledge and taking bookings.
She urged firms to take wellbeing in the workplace seriously if they want to increase productivity, morale and loyalty.
She said that studies have found that more than 50 per cent of the workforce report they have little or no access to wellbeing support.
Emily uses a psychometric tool called Wraw, which uses a survey to measure resilience and its impact on wellbeing in the workplace.
Emily said: ‘I am offering businesses rich data, through 15 minute Wraw psychometric assessments, to measure their employee resilience and wellbeing which identifies specific areas for development, saving time and money on training, boosting morale, improving and aligning culture, reducing stress and sickness absence, lowering turnover and increasing productivity.
‘The Joy Dept now has 15 providers who are specialists in their areas, and we work with employers to create bespoke wellbeing plans for the coming months, identifying the relevant training, workshops, or speakers to deliver on the wellbeing gaps identified. We can also support in outplacement due to redundancy, new starter inductions, return to work after a long absence or if there are red flags that someone may be struggling at work - or put on a wellbeing day.
‘Many of the providers are Portsmouth and Hampshire based. It’s much better to collaborate than compete in the wellness industry if we want to make change happen!’
Emily is a trained wellbeing coach with the NHS Personalised Care Institute and the Association for Coaching, an accredited Wraw practitioner, mental health advocate and with a background in HR (CIPD), operations and recruitment. For more go to thejoydept.co.uk