Supporting through Covid-19

2020 has been a bit of a bumpy ride, to say the least, and the spread of Covid-19 is unsettling for so many of us. It’s having a huge impact on our general wellbeing, with many of us worrying about our health, families, finances and livelihoods. Never has a focus on quality of life been so important. At Sodexo Engage, we’re continuing to support our staff, clients, their employees and those working on the front line.

Through the integration of all our services across our many lines of business including on-site services, benefits and rewards services, as well as personal and home services, we’re really proud to be able to combine our essential offerings, customised for our client and consumer needs during this hard time.

Employee Assistance

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about huge changes to all of our daily lives. We’ve recognised the need to adopt a proactive approach to mental health – preventing problems happening and making sure our clients are supporting employees, as much as possible, through a period that will continue to have an impact on their overall wellbeing.

Our Employee Assistance Programme aims to reduce the chances of employees suffering a mental health-related illness through free, confidential mental health support. The service includes access to counsellors, cognitive behavioural therapy, and management support, making sure managers are well equipped with the tools to help their direct reports.

Supporting key workers with Health Service Discounts

The nation’s key workers have emerged as national heroes since the lockdown began and they deserve recognition for their hard work in fighting Covid-19. We’ve been absolutely honoured to be able to make at least a small difference, by partnering with We Are Discounts to improve the lives of these workers.

Through this important partnership, we’ve proudly been able to lift morale and reward the hard work and commitment of 1.2 million people working in the health service, social care, education, and charity sectors. Our range of Pre-paid Spree cards, digital rewards, eVouchers and Voucher cheques are helping ease the financial pressure of the pandemic, and we’ve seen registrations increase 300% over the last three months.

Understanding the data

Data has been absolutely crucial in helping us understand the impact of the pandemic and it’s important for decision makers to understand the full picture of infections. The office for National Statistics is, at present, running a nationwide study to understand how many people of different ages have already had Covid-19. This will then help the government work out how to manage the pandemic better in the future, and protect the NHS from being overwhelmed. To assist in their crucial work, we’ve been helping to offer rewards to all the people offering their time and taking part in the study.

Hidden heroes

Whilst it’s important that we support our clients during this difficult time, we’ve never forgotten the critical roles our employees play in supporting our business, and going beyond their lines of duties, dealing with changes in their daily and working lives. We all have a responsibility to recognise each other’s contributions and celebrate these hidden heroes.

Over the past few months we’ve made sure to create a platform to celebrate all the people making a difference, from volunteering their time, to being redeployed to areas of the business that have been especially affected by the pandemic, such as Corporate Services and Sports & Leisure, to busy NHS hospitals within the healthcare sector to support in valued cleaning, portering and catering roles.

Even during this difficult time, we are hearing examples of our colleagues rising to the challenge and embodying our values. We know that in addition to longstanding heavy workloads many of us are working to support and protect those in need and we’re honoured to come together and do our part in the fight against this illness.

Ben Jones, Partner & Affiliate Director, at Sodexo Engage