We aim to make working as easy as possible for staff with family commitments. 

All staff who have significant health issues can access advice and support from the Occupational Health team at Kent.

They work with managers and the Human Resources team to discuss temporary and permanent adjustments for staff with all types of health issues. 

To help our staff stay healthy, we offer on-campus support including:

• managing stress – including advice for line managers, counselling and mediation services
• staying fit and healthy – including NHS exercise referral for staff with health issues who would benefit from exercise and a physiotherapy service
• attractive working environment – ensuring our campuses are attractive and pleasant places to work
• work/life balance – including study leave, career breaks and time off for public service/volunteering.  

The COPE Framework is a new resource pack to help staff and their managers find ways to adjust to working from home - eg during the Covid-19 outbreak - and to relieve any unnecessary workload-related pressure. A summary version is also available  

A resource pack for staff and managers to use, to coincide with  the return to campus for many of us following the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Kent runs a number of courses on mental health support at work for colleagues and managers. 

These range from 'First Aid at work' through to mental health awareness sessions.

If you feel that you have a physical or mental impairment and you are having problems associated with it in the workplace, please discuss this with your manager or contact Occupational Health for targeted advice.

We are committed to creating and supporting a balanced, inclusive and diverse community at Kent

There are a number of staff networks at Kent, such as the Disability Staff Network, that provide a forum to share information and consider good practice, and recommend changes in University policy and practice.

All staff members are required to undertake a workstation assessment to make sure their they are able to work in a safe and comfortable manner.

We can refer staff with health issues who would benefit from exercise directly to local sports centres for a three-month programme.

Work-related stress accounts for over a third of all new incidences of ill health.

As well as reducing sickness absence costs to the University, tackling stress can have a positive effect on:

• employee commitment to work
  
• staff performance and productivity
  
• staff turnover or intention to leave
  
• staff recruitment and retention
• customer satisfaction
• organisational image and reputation.

Counselling Services are available to staff who are experiencing emotional difficulties. 

Staff are able to self-refer to the service and can receive up to five individual counselling sessions. Counselling is designed to offer confidential listening support in times of difficulty.

Occupational Health has a small budget to help fund physiotherapy sessions for staff members who:

• have musculoskeletal problems as a result of work, or
• cannot return to work as they have no access to NHS-funded physiotherapy sessions

In both cases, Occupational Health will refer cases to Kent Sport Physiotherapy.

All members of staff are able to ‘self-refer’ to the Occupational Health team if they wish. 

You can self-refer to seek initial advice, or if you are uncertain about discussing the matter with your line manager or Human Resources.

Self-referral appointments are designed for individuals to discuss issues confidentially. Referrals for physiotherapy or for external counselling could be organised as a result of a self-referral discussion.