Our Culture
We’ve worked hard to create and maintain a workplace culture within which our employees’ well-being is a priority. Well-being in its widest sense is about creating the right conditions for us to thrive.
We have developed a culture that aims to support the following;
- A healthy work-life balance
- Continuous professional development
- Time to do things that are important to our team, outside of the office and be confident in the knowledge that it’s ok to switch off
- Connectedness to our colleagues, knowing that our need to have time with others and time alone is respected
- A space where we feel safe to show our vulnerabilities and be respected
Our Well-being Promise sets out our team ethos to enabling positive well-being. Remote working has really challenged us to find ways of staying connected as social beings.
Working in isolation, and in confined conditions can easily exaggerate negative behaviours. Working in isolation may mean we suffer from anxiety, sleeplessness and lower motivation levels, affecting our ability to think clearly.
We recognize these additional pressures and the research that says we should increase the level, the variety and quality of social contact we have as a Team.
Our well-being practises include;
Health & well-being
We actively encourage our team to soak up the benefits of nature and get outdoors as frequently as they can. We often hold outdoor team meetings and ‘Walk and talks’ for one on one and collective discussions.
In support of our goal to achieve a Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language, many of our team are either fluent Welsh speakers or, well on their way to achieving this. An employee led ‘Clwb Cymraeg’ takes place every other month for colleagues to practise their language skills, conversing and presenting solely through the medium of Welsh.
Spending
Following its sustainable spending processes means our office is supporting a wide range of local businesses which keeps money circulating in the local economy, supports community well-being and helps to minimise environmental impacts. Working with social enterprises and businesses with a strong social mission has helped our Office increase its impact even further.
We have a long-standing relationship with bigmoose, a charity and non-profit social enterprise who are supporting people who have experienced homelessness and mental health issues, using their cafe as a meeting venue, buying their products and getting involved with their charity events.
Transport
Our Team is encouraged to use the most cost effective and low carbon method of travel, accommodation and hospitality. We are also signatories of the Wales Healthy Travel charter which contains a series of actions that organisations publicly sign up to, to demonstrate their commitment to supporting walking, cycling, public transport, and ultra-low emission vehicle use.
The way we work
We firmly promote the notion of achieving balance in our lives and to help us live up to our value of ‘love work, get a life!’, our Anywhere Anytime Working framework enables us to have choice and flexibility at the centre.
We have been early adopters of the Shorter Working Week and have implemented the equivalent of 4-day week working since the COVID pandemic with no loss of pay. This transformative way of working has seen an increase in our team wellness but has also helped us recruit and retain incredible people/talent.
Domestic Abuse
In March 2019, the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner became the first employer in Wales to offer paid domestic abuse leave to employees.
Colleagues can take up to five paid days a year for urgent domestic crises or emergencies; this rises to 10 if the employee needs to leave home or access a refuge. The policy has since been adopted by Neath Port Talbot Council and Welsh Government, with more public bodies to follow.
In November 2020, a second policy was introduced to help staff members who may be victims of domestic violence or abuse.
Under this policy, employees working for the Future Generations Commissioner can apply for a cash grant of up to £500, a salary advance or a loan of up to £5,000 to help pay for anything from relocation costs including rent or a deposit on a home, to essential supplies.
The policy was sense-checked with Bawso; an organisation that supports Black and Asian Minority Ethnic communities that are victims of abuse and exploitation.
We also have more practises that ensure the well-being of our team remain at the core of our operation, such as;
Our Future Generations Leadership Academy
In 2019/2020, The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales (FGC) established the Future Generations Leadership Academy to train leaders from the public, private and voluntary sectors with the necessary skills to lead, champion and implement the WFGA.
These are just a few of the work practices that we’ve put in place to ensure our employees’ well-being. We’re Acting today for a better tomorrow for our staff.
- Anti-Racist Action Plan
- Transparent fair pay guidelines
- Commitment to fully paid internships
- Cheerleader model – our performance and accountability framework
- Cwpan Calon –peer-to-peer weekly recognition
- Well-being gift
Interested in more information on our working culture and how we’re trying to ‘walk the talk’?
View all of the Our Culture videos on our YouTube here.