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January 2024 Starters and Leavers Don’t go breaking your heart! Governance Our new approach Keep safe and warm this winter Able Futures’ calendar Wellbeing and Learn February
Happy New Year 2024 to all East Boro colleagues EAST BORO
www.ebht.org.uk PA R T O F
Happy New Year 2024 Welcome & Farewell Starters No starters Leavers No Leavers
Don’t go breaking your heart! East Boro staff newsletter I’m always happy to include your birthdays, anniversaries, births and good news stories. If you would like to contribute to YOUR staff newsletter in any way please contact me sue.hole@aster.co.uk
During February a lot of headlines are dedicated to matters of the romantic heart, but it’s never too late to start taking care of your physical heart! According to the British Heart Foundation, there are several ways to improve your heart health, including: •
Eating a healthy diet that is low in saturated fat, salt, and sugar, and high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
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Engaging in physical activity, such as brisk walking, gardening, cycling or swimming, for at least 150 minutes per week
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Quit smoking and avoiding exposure to secondhand smoke
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Limiting alcohol consumption to no more than 14 units per week
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Managing stress through relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga.
By following these guidelines, you can reduce your risk of developing heart disease and improve your overall health and well-being. Remember, it’s never too late to start taking care of yourself! www.bhf.org.uk
A new approach to Governance Last year, we carried out a governance review to look at the different board/panel meetings that make decisions, and think about what we could do to make sure we have the most straight forward ways of ensuring the right people are involved in decision making. As a result, we’re going to simplify our approach by cutting down the number of panel meetings and streamlining the colleagues involved. From February, we’ll be introducing an Operational Scrutiny and Assurance Panel (OSAP), which will replace our Group Health and Safety Panel, Customer Experience Panel and Corporate Performance and People Panel. OSAP will meet monthly and will be made up of senior leadership team colleagues from each area of the business. Jane Gallifent – Development and Sales Director Gary Bellenger – Property Strategy and Investment Director Jean Dalziel – Customer Service Operations Director Lyndsay Nickerson – People and Culture Director Angela Jamieson – Finance Director Dave Betteridge – Governance and Risk Director The Group Investment and Asset Panel will remain and will continue to meet monthly to approve our development pipeline and give oversight of our shared ownership programme. It will also have more of a focus on our asset management strategy and the delivery of our planned maintenance programme. We’re currently exploring the best way of making sure that colleague and customer voice is used to inform the decision making by both panels and will share more on that soon. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
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david.betteridge@aster.co.uk
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Happy New Year 2024
In response to evolving customer needs, Plumm have refreshed key navigation features and given their dashboard a new look and feel. Improved navigation promotes a focus on preventive support through to booking coaching and therapy. It’s designed to help you access the right support at the right time. Your familiar dashboard at Plumm is now sporting a refreshed look for an even smoother experience. EMMA remains easily accessible from the main menu. Plus, Plumm have added a quick access button at the top right, making it a breeze to navigate to your conversations. All your wellbeing tools are now conveniently grouped together under the Wellbeing menu. Plumm have Introduced the Academy section, the new hub for all their video content courses. Discover live events in the new Events section, designed to keep you connected and engaged. Check out the new Resources section for blogs, articles, infographics, and toolkits, all in one easy-to-access place. Access all your saved content conveniently through the Profile menu.
Mental health at work calendar 2024 February
March
April
May
June
19
1
1 - 30
13-19
10-16
15
7
Able Futures webinar on how we can support staff mental health at work
Employee Appreciation Day
World Sleep Day
15
Able Futures webinar on sleep
Stress Awareness Month World Health Day
17
Able Futures webinar on work/life balance.
Mental Health Awareness Week is all about raising awareness and promoting better mental health. It provides a great opportunity for people to talk about all aspects of mental health, with a focus on providing support and advice.
National Carer’s Week
10
Able Futures webinar on reasonable adjustments to support mental health at work.
15
Able Futures webinar on wellbeing at work.
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Happy New Year 2024
Keep warm and stay safe
through the cold snap Following the wet start to 2024 we’re now experiencing colder temperatures and frost, and it looks like a stronger cold snap is here to stay. We want to remind you of some simple steps you can take to look after your wellbeing this winter.
Keeping your home warm cost-effectively
Driving when roads are icy or slushy
If you haven’t already then you can take the steps below to maximise warmth in your home while being cost-effective:
It can take ten times longer to stop, so drive slowly, allowing extra room to slow down and stop. When accelerating, use the highest gear possible to prevent your wheels from spinning.
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Use your curtains – Open your curtains to let the sunlight in during the day. If you close them before sunset, they will act as another layer of insulation, keeping warmth in and night-time chill out Room and furniture layout – Arranging furniture such as sofas, chairs and dining tables away from chilly walls and windows will make things feel warmer. Also, keep furniture from blocking radiators as they can absorb the heat that could be warming your home. Moving furniture away from the radiator allows hot air to circulate freely Turn down the dial – Research shows that turning your thermostat down by 1°C could cut your heating bill by up to 10%. The Energy Saving Trust tells us that the lowest comfortable temperature is typically between 18°C and 21°C Use timers on your central heating – The Centre for Sustainable Energy tells us that programming your boiler to turn the heating on a little earlier – such as 30 minutes before you get up in the morning – but at a lower temperature, is cheaper than turning it on just as it’s needed at a higher temperature.
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Manoeuvre gently, avoiding harsh braking and acceleration
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Brake without locking your wheels by using a low gear earlier than normal so your engine will smoothly reduce your speed and use your brake pedal gently
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Skid control - If you do start to skid, ease off the accelerator but do not brake suddenly.
Driving in winter sun •
Glare from the low winter sun can be dangerous, so use your visor and keep a pair of sunglasses in your vehicle.
Mental wellbeing Things can feel tougher in the winter months so Daran B, the Wellness and Resilience Programme Lead from The Aster Foundation has shared some top tips to stay well through the winter months. From listening to music, to making the most of the sunshine there’s a mix of small steps to help.
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Happy New Year 2024
Wellbeing and Learn for February 2024
what’s on
Book early to secure your place
EEandOL @ aster.co.uk
Date
Time
20/02/2024
15:00-16:00
Beating Imposter Syndrome with seven easy steps
22/02/2024
10:00-15:00
Mental health skills for managers
28/02/2024
11:00-11:50
Sofa Sessions - Claire Foss from Foss Nutrition Three things you need to know about menopause
28/02/2024
14:00-15:00
Increasing emotional resilience
29/02/2024
10:00-14:00
Introduction to Mental Health
What’s on
Book early to secure your place
EEandOL @ aster.co.uk
5
01/02/2024
13:30-15:30
Managing Poor Performance
06/02/2024
10:00-12:00
Time Management Short Session
06/02/2024
10:00-12:00
Legacy Benefits to Universal Credit
07/02/2024
09:30-12:00
Coaching as a Leadership Style Session
07/02/2024
10:00-12:00
Anti-Racism Session
08/02/2024
10:00-12:00
Universal Credit - Managed Migration
14/02/2024
10:00-11:35
Aster’s Money Advice Tool Webinar
19/02/2024
14:00-15:00
Getting Ready to Build Performance
20/02/2024
10:00-11:30
Restorative Feedback
22/02/2024
09:30-13:00
Introduction to Restorative Practice
26/02/2024
09:30-13:00
Introduction to Restorative Practice
28/02/2024
10:00-14:00
Aster Welcome Day news
Happy New Year 2024
PA R T O F
East Boro Housing Trust is a Charitable Registered Society under the Co-operative and Community Benefits Societies Act 2014 No. 16946R