After a long 2021, it's understandable that many of us are looking forward to the festive break even more than usual. This page is a summary of the wellbeing resources that staff can access during the closure period.
For full details of what's available in wellbeing, please see the staff wellbeing webpages.
Confidential telephone counselling is available for all staff courtesy of the Employee Assistance Programme). The EAP aims to provide staff with 24/7 access to confidential support on all aspects of wellbeing, including personal finance and legal matters, counselling, health advice and more.
You can contact the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)* at any time during the Christmas closure period by calling 0800 107 6147 (quoting LSE as the name of your employer) or access the online portal by visiting www.colleaguesupport.co.uk (entering code 206011 as your username and password).
There's no limit to the number of calls you can make and your anonymity is assured at all times.
*Provided by BHSF Employee Benefits Limited in association with The Employee Resilience Company Ltd
The Mental Health First Aiders Network is crucial to providing effective mental and emotional wellbeing support across the School. The School's Mental Health First Aid Training is sponsored and run by MHFA England, a training and campaigning organisation dedicated to transforming workplace mental health through a range of evidence-based training courses.
The role of a Mental Health First Aider is to understand the important factors that can affect mental health, and to identify the signs and symptoms for a range of mental health conditions.
If you're a Mental Health First Aider, you are welcome to let your colleagues know if you are happy to be contactable during the closure period.
The School has introduced an online Mental Health Awareness at Work module (offered by the national charity Mind) to support staff returning to campus. The module includes areas such as tips for self-care and building resilience, alongside understanding mental health problems and raising awareness of wellbeing in the workplace.
Just click here to access the module, which should take about 50 minutes to complete.
Mind also have a wealth of information and resources on their website that you may find useful, including a dedicated series of webpages about how to maintain your mental wellbeing during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
If you've not already done so, it only takes a few moments to sign up to the 10 Minute Mind. Whatever your plans for the Christmas period, you can learn how to manage your stress levels and increase your focus through mindfulness meditation.
For many of us, the closure period is an opportunity to log off from our screens. At the same time, staff are very welcome to continue using the LSE Tree (the Teams group for non-work discussion) as a means to keep in touch with colleagues, share ideas and look for more wellbeing inspiration.
If you've not previously signed up to LSE Extras - LSE's employee lifestyle and wellbeing platform - this video will show you how to make best use of the platform to make weekly savings.
It’s quick and easy to register – just click here and use your full name and payroll number. You can double check these details by logging into MyView and selecting 'Account' in the top right corner, followed by 'View my details'. Your payroll number should be 6 digits; if you do experience any issues with creating an LSE Extras account, try entering your payroll number without the initial '0'.
Once registered, you can make sure that you receive the latest email updates by turning your email preferences to stay in touch set to ‘on’. This will allow you receive updates on the best savings for your daily expenses, as well as monthly competitions to win prizes!
Urgent support
In addition to the content set out above, we would like to point out the following sources of urgent support; these are also listed on the Staff Counselling webpages.
If you are feeling suicidal, or are worried about someone close to you, it is best to contact your / their doctor. You can always contact a doctor through the NHS GP website or ask to see someone at the Accident and Emergency department of your nearest hospital. University College London Hospital is closest to LSE and can be reached on 0207 387 9300). Always call 999 if you need help straight away.
Central London Samaritans offers confidential support to anyone passing through a crisis or thinking of taking their own lives. They can be phoned on 020 7734 2800 or the national number 08457 90 90 90. Walk in support is also available 9.00 am - 9.00 pm, seven days a week at 46 Marshall Street, W1. They are also available for email contact via jo@samaritans.org, and will try to respond to within 24 hours. The Samaritans is also an excellent source of contact numbers for specialist advice for many issues.
Contact Staff Wellbeing
Please contact Staffwellbeing@lse.ac.uk if you have any questions about what is included on this webpage. The Staff Wellbeing mailbox will be monitored periodically between Wednesday 22 December and Tuesday 4 January; please be aware that there may be a slightly delay in responses. Urgent wellbeing matters or concerns should go direct to the appropriate contact, as set out on this page.