• Blog by the Storm Skills Training Team

Two of our wonderful team members, Dani and Emma, lead our Wellbeing Programme for the internal Storm Skills Training team.

They’re passionate and committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our team and are invested in promoting a happy and supportive environment.

Since getting the go ahead from our CEO Bianca and our Board, they have introduced and grown a programme which has gone from strength to strength. We are so proud and thankful to them for developing this idea.

In this blog Dani and Emma tell us how it all began, what they’ve learned, and what their plans are for the future.

In October 2022 we introduced a Wellbeing programme into our team. At Storm Skills Training we believe in people working together to build understanding, hope and safety at times of distress.

By investing in the wellbeing of our people, spending time together, nurturing a healthy environment, we create a culture of happiness and support. It’s important to us that our staff feel valued which in turn leads to higher quality customer care throughout our training and beyond.

How did the idea of a wellbeing programme come about?

Workplace wellbeing has been a growing focus for everyone over the past few years. For us it’s always been something we’re passionate about. Being a growing remote team, we need to create opportunities for connection and movement.

During the first lockdown (back when we were a small team of four!) we started doing a morning yoga session together as a group. This was something positive and active to help us get motivated and connect with each other through a challenging time.

As things returned to normal and the team grew it faded out. But it’s been something that was talked about often and remembered fondly. And so reintroducing yoga to the larger group was the spark that set our wellbeing journey alight! We knew that there were other activities the team would love, and we could already see the huge benefit to wellbeing and team morale, this was when it all started to grow…

What support have you received?

We have had amazing support from the entire team!

Once the idea of introducing yoga back into the team was suggested, it all happened very quickly. We had some exciting conversations with our CEO Bianca who empowered us to come up with a plan to present to the board. They gave us some amazing feedback, asked some thought provoking questions to help us make the programme a success, and have continued to offer support and advice throughout.

Bianca has been a wellbeing cheerleader from day one. She attends so many of the activities and events, and actively encourages and supports the rest of the team to do the same.

And the team…. our wonderful team are always ready to try something new – they fully engage and participate in activities, they are positive, offer suggestions, and give amazing feedback to help us make this a success.

“It’s good for connection with others but also a moment to connect with my body, which I often forget about when I’m absorbed in work.”

Storm Skills Training Team Member

What have you achieved so far?

We decided to start with getting the basics right. We have so many exciting ideas, but we knew that we needed to learn to walk before we try to run with this.

Yoga was the inspiration and so it was obviously top of the list, we’ve been running regular sessions every couple of weeks and have tested out a few different instructors to find something that works for all of us.

Other activities have included meditation sessions and breathing techniques, social events, quizzes, lunches and even some crafty things like origami and a fun challenge or two. Now that we have a great foundation, we are moving forwards and starting to focus more on the health and wellness aspects. We have some exciting things to roll out this year!

We have managed to stick to the schedule which is amazing, and we have had great attendance at all the activities and events. It’s not been without challenges though, some of the meditation content has been hit and miss and we have faced some technical issues due to being a fully remote team. But it didn’t dampen our spirits and we’ve found alternatives and have already begun to improve..

“We have this programme where we do yoga and social stuff together online. It’s great. It’s helps us to feel connected even though we work remotely.”

Storm Skills Training Team Member

What have you learned?

The most important thing we have learned is how much this was needed and how well it works! We have only just started, but we can already see the positive impact it is having on our team. It does take a lot of work, but it’s so valuable and it really is worth putting the effort in.

We always want to be inclusive but there is a balance between what people want and what is actually achievable. Not everyone will like every event and that’s ok. Communication is key and we do everything we can to make sure that everyone feels comfortable to attend wellbeing activities but also importantly that no one feels pressured to do so either.

What are your main goals in 2023?

Now that we have the foundations in place, we are looking forward to introducing a more rounded programme that covers the pillars of wellbeing including:

• financial

• physical

• occupational

• and emotional

What would you say to anyone who was considering rolling out a similar programme?

Absolutely do it! Your team will thank you for it, even a small change can have a big impact on people’s happiness and emotional wellbeing.

Finding out what your team want will give you a great foundation and you can build from there. We cannot say enough how much this has benefited our team, it really is worth the effort.