Our colleagues are what makes The Midcounties Co-operative the successful Society it is, and we are continually looking for ways to support them in doing the fantastic work they do. Here’s a lowdown of some of the biggest colleague-related stories from the year…
- 24 Apprentices graduated in 2021
- Our fantastic colleagues raised £3,000 for MIND during Mental Health Awareness Week.
- 5 working groups launched, including Your Coop Pride and EmbRACE Group.
- Everymind Wellbeing app launhed for colleagues
- Working with Usdaw and the ACS, we called on colleagues and members to write to their local MPs to protect our retail shopworkers.
Everymind app launches
Maintaining good mental health has become more challenging than ever during the pandemic. In order to support our colleagues, we launched the Everymind wellbeing app, which can be tailored to your own self-care needs.
Use the app to access:
Anonymous support 24/7
Weekly coping strategies and content
Self-tracking and management of mental wellbeing
Free monthly webinars
Supporting diversity and inclusion
Equality is one of our DOES values, and valuing our differences is a key part of that. To drive our diversity and inclusion work forward we now have 5 working groups:
The Women in Retail and Men in Childcare groups look at ways we can encourage and support recruitment or promotion for under-represented genders within these trading areas. During the course of the year the groups have been busy promoting role models, unblocking issues and challenging stereotypes.
The EmbRACE Group launched in March to explore the opportunities and barriers faced by colleagues with ethnic minority backgrounds. Following on from an initial survey and listening sessions, the group continues to explore how we attract, develop and engage a diverse mix of colleagues.
The Co-op Pride Group was established in May to create a safe space for colleagues (both those identifying as LGBTQIA+ or an ally of the community) to build new friendships and take part in social activities, as well as understanding the issues faced by LGBTQIA+ colleagues and what can be done to address these.
The Men’s Wellbeing Group was set up to offer men the chance to speak openly about their experiences, provide peer support to one another and address any wellbeing and mental health concerns they are facing in a supportive environment.
Developing and protecting Retail colleagues
Putting our young talent at the forefront, congratulations to the 24 apprentices who have graduated this year – best of luck for your career at Midcounties! With difficulties due to the pandemic, our apprentices showed true determination and inspiration to succeed in their qualifications. Well done to each and every one of our colleagues who graduated in 2021.
Unfortunately, since the pandemic began, violence and abuse against shopworkers have been on the increase. Our CEO Phil Ponsonby who is on the board of the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) along with our Food teams, have been championing the call for a change in the legislation bill.
This included encouraging colleagues, members and customers to write to their local MP to make assaulting retail staff at work a specific offence and continue raising awareness (through our trade union Usdaw), on the Freedom from Fear Respect for Shopworkers campaign.
We’ll continue to support our colleagues through 2022 and are hopeful for a change in the bill soon.