Midcounties expands mental wellness support for agents
Co-operative Travel, the retail travel division of The Midcounties Co-operative, has partnered with mental health charity Mind to offer wellbeing sessions for its travel agents.
It is available for agents working from home or on furlough during lockdown.
The online sessions, which were offered throughout February and have continued into March, are being delivered by Paol Stuart-Thomson, Trainer for Mind.
Paol has supported colleagues of The Midcounties Co-operative society for a number of years by offering guidance on how to build positive mental health practises in the workplace.
The sessions feature top tips on maintaining positive mental health with guidance on diet, exercise, positive relationships, structure, self-compassion, kindness and peer support, plus a focus on sleeping better, and mindfulness and meditation.
There is also an opportunity for agents to ask questions to Mind.
The wellbeing sessions, which are optional and open to all Co-operative Travel colleagues, are taking place virtually, using Microsoft Teams, and run for just over an hour.
"The last 12 months have been tough for the majority of the nation, and for those working in travel, one of the industries hardest hit by Covid-19, it’s been particularly gruelling. As well as a major shift in working environment and health concerns about the virus, many of our agents are also finding their personal lives impacted with the challenges of home-schooling and the restrictions being placed on their daily lives," said Natalie Turner, Head of Retail for Co-operative Travel.
"We recognise what a challenging year it’s been for our colleagues and want to do everything we can to boost their mental wellbeing in readiness for better times."
All of Co-operative Travel’s 78 branches are currently closed, due to the national lockdown, but staff are working from home to take holiday bookings and help customers with refunds and re-arranging pandemic-affected trips, via phone, email and social media.
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