Wellbeing

Workplace wellbeing is best understood as how well people can grow and flourish in the business.

The ACS Wellbeing Guide provides convenience retailers of all sizes with practical advice about supporting wellbeing to staff stores effectively, covering shop floor colleagues to business owners. This includes how retailers can improve staff retention and customer service via a healthy, engaged workforce.

Convenience stores supply good quality jobs which are local for all communities, secure and genuinely flexible for both employer and employee.

DOWNLOAD THE WELLBEING GUIDE HERE

Eight Ways to Wellbeing at Work

1. Working Environment – creating a friendly, welcoming store environment
2. Relationships & Connections – the quality of relationships at work
3. Health – mental health and physical health
4. Learning – skills for the workplace, confidence and self-esteem
5. Work & Life Balance – linked to job-related attitudes and morale
6. Personal & Purpose – satisfaction with life and the things we do
7. Colleague Voice – demonstrating respect and trust
8. Personal Finance – control over incomes and outgoings

Taking Wellbeing Forward

1. Download the full guide – at https://bit.ly/ACSwellbeingguide
2. Understand how your colleagues are really doing – via one-to-one conversations
3. Develop a Plan – based on identified priorities from the guide, bringing store leaders on board
4. Enact and review – including via ACS’ Colleague Survey 
5. Learn from other retailers – join the ACS Employment Group

Myths About Wellbeing

• Wellbeing is about Covid-19 – wellbeing has been highlighted by the pandemic, but its impact on the labour market and jobs is set to only grow.
• Improving wellbeing will be costly to the business – there are a plethora of free resources available to support retailers. Improved wellbeing reduces sick pay costs but increases productivity and customer service.
• Staff will talk if they have problems – some level of stigma remains about raising wellbeing issues for fear of discrimination or judgement. Trust is key. 
• I do not have the resource or skills to prioritise wellbeing – this guide outlines practical measures for small shop settings, whether operating one site or responsible for thousands.
• People who are struggling cannot be good at their jobs – and vice versa. Some workers tend to overcommit to work when external issues are damaging their wellbeing, before reaching crisis point.
• Colleague sickness is out of an employer’s control – some level of absence is inevitable but motivated, healthy workers are more productive and off less frequently.

Additional Formats

We have a number of additional formats of the guidance available, including a print-friendly version, please contact [email protected] for more information.

Further Information

This guidance has been produced in collaboration with the What Works Centre for Wellbeing. The What Works Centre for Wellbeing believes that improving people’s wellbeing is the ultimate goal of effective policy and community action. The Centre develops and shares robust and accessible evidence to improve decision making, see: https://whatworkswellbeing.org/.

For more information about the guide or to request print copies, please email [email protected].