Making sure that we provide workplace adjustments for people with disabilities or long term health conditions is crucial when we welcome them into our organisation. In addition providing well-being resources aligned to the needs of the individual is also important in supporting staff retention and creating a positive working environment.”
David Jenkins, MertonCIL
Lots of people have supported us to learn about what ‘happy’ workplaces can be. They supported in many ways:
- People shared their stories about work so we could all learn and find better ways to make work fair.
- We got money to help us build our website, make videos, and plan our work.
- We got money to help design our ideas, create a scrapbook of our story, and add sign language to some videos.
- Some people helped us by making sure our website and messages were easy for everyone to see and understand, and some added sign language to videos.
- We got money to add sign language to ten pages of our website.
- People gave us places to meet, food for meetings, helped us learn new job skills, kept us safe, supported with projects, did some printing for us, and shared their knowledge and friends.
- We got venues in kind for an Unconference, co-production meetings and team meetings.
- We got funding for us to create ‘What’s a ‘Happy’ Workplace’ and included on the funders website.
- We made sure we took care of each other when things felt hard.
We want to say a big “thank you” to everyone who has been kind and supported us.
We are excited about the future! We will keep working with our friends. We are building a team and community partners, especially Disabled People’s Organisations, to support us by applying for money and development of our work. We will add new things like paid work, mentors, helpful resources, activities, peer drop-in sessions.
‘Merton Council is undergoing a change management programme with inclusivity and integrity as key to our borough values. Values make us who we are and the council recognises that staff share the responsibility to be inclusive and that will guide how we work together. As an employer the council is making staff aware of barriers faced by disabled people, both employees and customers. We have training to understand about disability, legislation and our duty to make adjustments that will mean we are a more inclusive and supportive employer and able to understand our customer’s needs.’
Sarah Xavier, London Borough of Merton
‘At the South London Integration Hub we are passionate about connecting employers with their future talent pipeline but know that for some residents the challenge of finding supportive and flexible working opportunities, that enable people with a disability or long term health conditions to thrive, can be a struggle. Working with Active Inclusion, equity in employment has given us insight into the ways in which employers can benefit and the tools to make the workplace a supportive environment for all.”
Kirsty Hogg, South London Partnership
What's a 'Happy' Workplace? 
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