How wellbeing helps us make BT Group a brilliant place to work

Our business starts with our colleagues. If they thrive, we thrive. That’s why we’ve developed a strategy designed to put everyone’s wellbeing at the heart of our culture. The better we can help people overcome issues affecting them at work and support them through difficulties in their lives, the more successful we’ll be as an employer.

This isn’t just a nice thing to do – it’s a key part of Being trusted: our code, which sets out the principles of how we can best work together to achieve our ambition of being the world’s most trusted connector of people, devices and machines by 2030.

  • What is Wellbeing?

    Put simply, wellbeing is about how we’re doing – as individuals, communities and as a nation.  

    Personal wellbeing is how satisfied we are with our lives – our sense that what we do in life is worthwhile, our day-to-day emotional experiences (like happiness or anxiety) and our wider mental wellbeing.

     

  • What is Wellbeing?

     

    Workplace Wellbeing is driven by so many factors affecting our relationships, environment and purpose. We align to the ‘five drivers of wellbeing’ developed by the What Works Centre for Wellbeing.

Colleague statements

“BT has supported my wellbeing through its caring and supportive culture. I’ve found my managers and colleagues to be big advocates of people doing what’s best for them…which of course means different things for everyone. For some, this means leaving work early or not working during certain times of the day so they can take care of their kids. For others, like myself, this means going for a walk or being able to attend a medical appointment during the day, as well as shifting my working hours depending on who I’m working with and where in the world they are based.” -  Chloe Burri, Employer Brand Colleague

“The pandemic has been a great normaliser in making everyone realise that we are human beings and family members as well as workers, and a great employer is someone who lets people be both. I think that support is what encourages people to stay for longer and give their best at work.” - Shirlayne Dunwoodie, Sales Director (International Markets)

The five drivers of wellbeing

Health

We all have a part to play in promoting our own health and wellbeing – both physically and mentally. As an employer, it’s our role to create a culture, climate and working conditions that enable our people to make healthy choices and to flourish.

Health

We all have a part to play in promoting our own health and wellbeing – both physically and mentally. As an employer, it’s our role to create a culture, climate and working conditions that enable our people to make healthy choices and to flourish.

Security

How secure we feel at work has a significant impact on wellbeing. Security encompasses our physical safety at work; our working conditions; our employment status and assurance; and our perceived financial stability.

Security

How secure we feel at work has a significant impact on wellbeing. Security encompasses our physical safety at work; our working conditions; our employment status and assurance; and our perceived financial stability.

Environment

Our environment is the space that we inhabit, physically and mentally. This can be physical (surroundings,  facilities, your commute to work) or cultural (the way we work and the systems we follow).

Environment

Our environment is the space that we inhabit, physically and mentally. This can be physical (surroundings,  facilities, your commute to work) or cultural (the way we work and the systems we follow).

Relationships

As an employer, we have a key role in supporting and building strong, trusted, positive relationships in the workplace, dealing with situations fairly and decisively, as well as helping our employees find support in dealing with personal relationship issues. We can also help our people develop healthy relationships in the community through initiatives like volunteering programmes and charity partnerships.

Relationships

As an employer, we have a key role in supporting and building strong, trusted, positive relationships in the workplace, dealing with situations fairly and decisively, as well as helping our employees find support in dealing with personal relationship issues. We can also help our people develop healthy relationships in the community through initiatives like volunteering programmes and charity partnerships.

Purpose

People with purpose like what they’re doing and are motivated to achieve their goals. At work, a sense of purpose could stem from the quality of your day-to-day job or how engaged you feel with broader team and organisational goals. We want our people to believe in the business and to know that they can make a positive difference to customers, colleagues and communities.

Purpose

People with purpose like what they’re doing and are motivated to achieve their goals. At work, a sense of purpose could stem from the quality of your day-to-day job or how engaged you feel with broader team and organisational goals. We want our people to believe in the business and to know that they can make a positive difference to customers, colleagues and communities.

Our Wellbeing Strategy

We have a shared goal: to help build a team of fulfilled, safe, happy and healthy colleagues in a culture where everyone can thrive – it’s a crucial part of our overarching ambition to make BT Group a brilliant place to work.

There are three main things we’re doing to make it happen:

Inform and Educate 

Informing and educating managers and colleagues to promote the importance of Wellbeing. That includes things like post-covid recovery programmes and mental health awareness training on issues such as anxiety or burnout.

Support Services, Resources and Tools

Putting in place wellbeing support services, resources and tools, easily accessible by all colleagues. This includes targeted support plans, where managers have identified a possible wellbeing issue and running Peer 2 Peer support networks.

Promoting wellbeing strategy

Promoting a wellbeing strategy by working with stakeholders across the business, we can make sure that wellbeing is at the core of our culture. This includes setting standards for Wellbeing governance at the top of the organisation and running campaigns to encourage people to take ownership of wellbeing.

How we’re putting wellbeing at the heart of our business

Our Better Workplace Programme brings our people together in brilliant spaces, designed by us to inspire and motivate. We’re investing to create vibrant workplaces made with our people in mind. Facilities include flexible workstations, meeting rooms featuring smart technology, communal areas, improved IT systems, multifaith rooms, rooftop terraces and health and wellbeing facilities.

More than 3,500 colleagues signed up to our Recharge Your Wellbeing Programme, a month-long initiative that aims to help individuals return to good health, both physically and mentally.

We carry out regular psychosocial risk assessments to ensure people’s work and roles are designed to be conducive to good wellbeing – that things like workload, deadlines and working practices don’t contribute to ill health.

We support colleagues, past and present, who are facing financial hardship through the BT Benevolent Fund.

For a full view on Wellbeing explained, click the link below to find out more