Arc staff are being encouraged to take a day for self-care on Friday 1st October (or nearby where appropriate). The ‘Staff Wellness Day’ follows the success of similar initiatives at Bumble, Nike, LinkedIn, Citi and UNSW.
This second lockdown has been incredibly challenging for everyone. We want to encourage staff to take some time to recharge and reset.”
Valentine felt that a Wellness Day aligned with the values of the organisation, who prides itself on student-led Wellness initiatives, designed to enhance the resilience of UNSW students. In particular, the Arc Wellness Warriors are a team of ~80 volunteers who activate UNSW on campus (when possible) and online to remind students of the various facets of mental health and self-care.
Our people and culture is our most important asset. I want to acknowledge the exceptional work ethic of Arc staff and their agility throughout this pandemic.”
All staff are encouraged to practice what they preach for student wellness by also participating in Staff Wellness Initiatives lead by a cross-department Wellness Working Group [WWG]. WWG chair and Executive Officer Joelle Barrallon praised the Wellness Day-
This is more than a day off. It’s an important, visible reminder to our staff and students that self-care really matters, and that Arc will always prioritise and support their wellbeing”.
Every week staff can participate in a range of wellness initiatives like meditation, tea breaks, Mental Health First Aid training, book club and the Arc Wellness Wednesday newsletter. Strategically, an interest in wellness is designed to emanate throughout all the operations of Arc from online events to backend activity.
The Staff Wellness Day occurs on a Friday with a corresponding public holiday long-weekend which is designed to give people an extended opportunity to focus on themselves.
