Surgeons Quarter, the commercial arm for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, has launched an engagement initiative to improve staff wellbeing.
The SQ Cares programme, run by representatives across all departments of the business, was set up in order to focus on the welfare and wellbeing of employees. Nine members have committe to meet once a month to discuss six key areas across the business: charity, community, wellbeing, green, inclusion and social.
Initiatives devised so far include wellbeing programmes and seasonal treats, and giving back to the community through support for charities such as Bowel Cancer UK, and organised community clean-ups.
The programme was launched in addition to a number of initiatives already on offer, such as a £2,000 holiday bonus for new full-time chefs and full-time hospitality team members, which was introduced in May.
The organisation also recently relocated its office to new premises at Mission Hall in Edinburgh, which it said aimed to create an environment for staff to thrive and have all of the necessary equipment and tools to produce their best work.
Sarah Williamson, business and talent manager at Surgeons Quarter, said: “Staff have stepped up during busy times so we wanted to introduce a way to engage with them across all departments to gather input and ensure we put their voices at the heart of everything we do. We are such a busy business and are always running about, so sometimes it is nice to just stop and say thank you.
“Initiatives already implemented include celebrating International Employee Appreciation Day, where staff were treated to lunch, and we issued thank you cards. We also reintroduced Employee of the Month, which has been met with a lot of enthusiasm.”
Stewart Munro, operations manager at Surgeons Quarter, added: “SQ Cares is a way to show our staff that we care and appreciate the amazing work displayed, especially throughout this particularly busy summer period. They have allowed me to grow in my career already and I’m looking forward to seeing the pledges progress.”