Pink flowers on rock

Wellbeing

We are committed to creating a healthy working environment and study space for our staff and students.

The Department of Sociology is keen to promote working practices that strive to provide a supportive, caring environment that includes activities, opportunities and time to look after our wellbeing.

The UK National Health Service says that when it comes to our wellbeing, other people matter. Evidence shows that good relationships – with family, friends and our wider communities, including in the workplace – are important for our mental wellbeing.

If you have good mental wellbeing you are able to:-

  • Feel relatively confident in yourself and have positive self esteem
  • Build and maintain good relationships with others
  • Feel engaged with the world around you
  • Live and work productively
  • Cope with the stresses of daily life
  • Adopt and manage in times of change and uncertainty

By providing spaces to maintain and improve wellbeing we can foster the confident, engaged, resilient and productive staff and students needed to (fulfil, tackle, work towards) our Department vision to carry out outstanding research, teaching and learning that is engaged with key actors and groups and addresses global challenges related to social inequalities and climate emergency.

Sociology has an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Director, Professor Vicky Singleton, and a Mental Health and Wellbeing Ambassador, Dr Debra Ferreday to communicate and promote the department’s efforts and liaise with faculty wide wellbeing champions. Contact Vicky or Debra on email or via Teams to discuss any wellbeing issues you may be experiencing.

Tab Content: Students

Students are at the centre of what we do. We aim to provide support and understanding in all situations. Our staff are not counsellors but will direct students to the best place for help and put in place support in the department as available.

Support is available from the Student Mental Health Service. This service is made up of University staff who are all qualified and professional mental health practitioners. This includes the College Wellbeing Officers, who are part of the Service but reside in offices within the Colleges, and the Counsellors and Mental Health Advisors, who are based in our central office within University House.

Within Sociology you can contact your subject personal tutors (or PhD supervisors) if you are experiencing any problems affecting your studies and they will signpost you to the appropriate place for help.

The Counselling and Mental Health webpage has a variety of resources and links to external organisations. This includes details on Student Space, a coronavirus specific resource developed by UK student mental health charity Student Minds.

Tab Content: Staff

Lancaster University has adopted the Five Ways to Wellbeing framework. Those five ways are:

  • Be Aware
  • Be Informed
  • Be Connected
  • Be Active
  • Be Generous

These steps are used by the Government and charities such as MIND, the NHS and universities, to provide information to help Staff manage and improve our wellbeing.

There is a dedicated LU Staff Wellbeing site with information on support services, Wellbeing activities and ideas and links to outside organisations. It includes information on Support for Students so that staff can easily find the information they need to support our students Wellbeing.

If you are struggling

All staff can access immediate emotional support over the phone from the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). Your EAP includes a free-phone confidential and unlimited helpline service, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You can also access the online element of the EAP, the Wellbeing Portal, an online information and resource library.

Reach out and talk to a colleague. This could be your line manager, mentor, Vicky Singleton (as EDI Director), Debra Ferreday (as the Departmental Mental Health and Wellbeing Ambassador) or just a trusted colleague.

Staff can also access information on the Specialist Support page, and the I Need Help Now page.