Wellbeing

Thriving together

When you join AtkinsRéalis in the UK and Europe, we’ll support you and your priorities, making sure you’re valued for your participation. While we’re passionate about what we do, we try not to take ourselves too seriously. We have fun, look out for each other – staying well and healthy on our journey together.

It's time to change

In 2017 we signed the Time to Change Pledge, developing an action plan to get our employees talking about mental health. It’s our aim to treat mental health like physical health, creating a culture where any one of us can speak up about how we’re feeling. Our programme has evolved and we’re currently working on updating our pledge.

Our approach to wellbeing

Our global wellbeing approach at AtkinsRéalis aims to create an environment where employees can thrive, flourish and achieve their full potential. Our AtkinsRéalis Wellbeing Framework includes a holistic approach to these five pillars of wellbeing:

• Physical: Maintaining healthy lifestyle behaviours and habits, free from or resilient to illness and disease.
• Emotional: Navigating both positive and negative emotions, thoughts and feelings experienced throughout one’s life.
• Workplace: This is where our organizational culture resides, is rooted and takes accountability.
• Social & Community: Interacting positively with others and building meaningful and healthy relationships.
• Financial: Comfortably meeting your current financial commitments while also having financial resilience to continue doing so in the future.

All five pillars are interrelated and have their unique impact.

Each employee has a different approach to their wellbeing, and different needs and priorities. They all are on their unique health journey which can fluctuate over time.

Accountability for employee wellbeing lies with the organization, with leader and teams, and with each individual employee.

This is the fundamental basis of our approach to wellbeing at AtkinsRéalis as part of our core value of Safety.

Flexible working

As an employer of choice, we recognize that you exist outside of the office and that everyone has different interests and commitments. When you can excel in your personal life, you’ll bring that drive and passion to work. That’s why flexible working is a vital part of our collective success. You’ll be trusted to achieve your best at work, while structuring your time around what matters to you.

Employee Assistance Programme

Everyone – at some point in their lives – needs support. And our Employee Assistance Programme offers a continuum of wellbeing resources to address your emotional, practical and physical needs. The Programme provides you with immediate and confidential help, to support and guide you through all of life’s events and challenges and resources are offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Inclusive workspaces

Across the UK and Ireland, we’re enhancing our current and new locations by making them more inclusive. In the UK we’re introducing welfare rooms equipped with sofas and washing facilities for hands and feet. These nourishing spaces can be used for breastfeeding, prayer, meditation and contemplation.

Mental health first aiders

In 2017 our UK offices piloted the Mental Health First Aider programme with 40 volunteers. The business followed this up by investing in volunteer training. The UK now has a community of over 120 Mental Health First Aiders, made up of people from all our underrepresented groups, with a 50/50 gender split. They’re trained to spot mental health issues, offer non-judgmental help, and guide colleagues towards support.

Encouragement and support on the ground

Our people are committed to doing more than just talking about mental health issues. By actively supporting one another, we’re making AtkinsRéalis a place where no one has to go at it alone. Employees have self-started many different support groups and employee networks. These include, Financial Wellbeing, Embrace (our network for ethnic minority colleagues and allies), Equilibrium (our network for employees to discuss LGBTQ+ issues, regardless of whether they identify themselves as a member of the LGBTQ+ community or otherwise), Enable (our disability and health condition network), our Faith network, the Neurodiversity network, and Empower (our network for female employees). Find out more.

Training when it’s needed most

When the pressure is on at work, resilience training is available for project teams. We also have specific training that gives all our managers the tools and knowledge to support their teams’ mental health and wellbeing.