Edit page

Getting support internally

The wellbeing of our teams is very important. So we offer the following to support your health and wellbeing:

Mental and physical health support at a time of challenge or crisis #

Sometimes our lives both inside and outside of work can be challenging, and many of us will experience poor mental or physical health for any number of reasons.

This can impact our lives and, sometimes, our ability to work as normal.

Who to speak to #

The People team #

The People team is a safe place to turn if you need help with your mental health or general wellbeing at work. We can work with you to identify what additional support you might need.

We provide administrative, wellbeing, learning and development, line manager and professional support and guidance.

We have a Head of People, a HR Manager and administrators to support the HR and Recruitment function - some of whom are Mental Health First Aid trained. We also have an independent HR advisor to provide additional support when needed.

We have a public slack channel for general non-sensitive questions, #help-hr-non-confidential, which is monitored by the team.

We also have a weekly Ask HR slot at 11am on Wednesdays, to provide a regular opportunity to get advice and support. The door is always open though, so you can also always book an ad-hoc slot with the People team to discuss matters you might not feel able to raise with others in your support path, or that are specialist to the HR function in dxw.

The list is not exhaustive, but includes:

Your line manager #

Line managers are your first point of contact for any issues you may be having at work. They are responsible for carrying out dxw’s duty of care, and you should request a 1:1 with your line manager if you need additional support.

They can listen, support and offer reasonable adjustments as detailed above. They can help review workloads, working patterns, projects, roles and responsibilities and help with resolving anything within the workplace that might be causing concern. They can liaise with delivery leads, heads of and directors where necessary, and take some of the burden from you.

Mental health first aiders #

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or think that someone else is, we have a team of trained Mental health first aiders who are able to provide initial support. A Mental Health First Aider is able to listen and communicate non-judgementally, give initial support and then signpost information or appropriate professional help.

First aiders are a safe place to turn to if you are experiencing an issue with your mental health, and need to talk to someone. Conversations will be kept in strictest confidence, provided that you are not at serious risk of harm.

Mental health first aiders are identified in the company directory in Breathe, and you can reach out to them via Slack or email.

If your chosen MHFA is unable to take a call, they will offer to refer you to another first aider or a member of the People team.

Helpers #

When you join dxw you will be assigned a helper. This person will work closely with you for at least your first 4 months. They will do a similar job to you, help you meet members of the wider team, catch up with you on at least a 3/6/12 week basis to ensure you are receiving everything you need, and will NEVER get bored of your questions!

If you feel that you’re not getting as much time with your helper as you’d like, please speak to the People team.

As a helper, you will be vital in ensuring you have the regular catch ups - if you are finding it hard to schedule them, please do talk to the Commercial Operations team.

For more information on being a helper, please see the checklist or speak to the People team.

Buddies #

Once you have passed your 4 month probation, we would like you to choose a buddy within the company to support you.

We recommend this person doesn’t work directly with you, someone in a different role and that you don’t work closely with on projects, as this will give you a second point of view and a whole new set of experiences to draw on.

This is not mandatory, just recommended and similarly not everyone may wish to be a buddy - don’t be afraid to ask or say no. It can be reciprocal but doesn’t have to be. Also, if you feel that a change of buddy would benefit you for whatever reason or that you’re no longer able to be a buddy, this should also not be an awkward situation. If you have any concerns, have a chat with the People Manager.

The buddy system is there to help us all improve, to make sure we’re doing the right kind of work and to check that we’re dealing with practical problems we’re facing. It’s not line management, so it’s not the right place to talk about holiday, salary, sickness, absence or anything disciplinary. If you need to talk about those things, talk to the People Manager.

If you want to know more about how the buddy system works, how often to meet and suggested discussion topics, see the buddy crib sheet. This shouldn’t be a huge time commitment, ideally just a pleasant Friday meet up.

Your delivery lead (for those on client work) #

There will be opportunities within the delivery team to raise any issues or concerns you might have e.g. retrospectives or planning sessions. As well as this, or if you’d prefer to talk one on one, the delivery lead working on the project will be available to provide support and guidance.

Directors and Heads-of #

All members of the Directors and heads-of team are here to help answer any questions you might have. Your own Director and/or Head-of profession or location is there to provide support on matters relating to dxw and your career with us, as well as profession specific questions. Similarly, they are here if you need to escalate any job-related concerns.

Our Chief Executive Officer, Dave #

At dxw, all doors are open if you need to raise a concern or just have a chat - this includes our CEO. Dave is always available to discuss any questions you have about the company and its future. Equally, if you feel you need to escalate anything to him, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Dave’s diary is open and you can see it on Google Calendar. If you would like to schedule some time with him, please feel free to book something.

Private Slack channels #

We encourage everyone at dxw to be open about their identities and the challenges they experience at work, but sometimes we want to only talk to people whose experiences more closely resemble our own. To enable that, we have created a number of private channels:

Anyone can create a new one by creating the private channel, creating a user group with at least one volunteer (or asking a Slack admin to do it for you), and adding it to this list. It’s probably a good idea to share that you’ve created it in #general.

The membership of those channels is also private to protect those people, and members of a channel are expected to keep everything in those channels private.

We don’t police membership of these channels, and trust everyone to be honest about their identities. Don’t invite anyone without first asking them if they want to be invited.

Last updated: 14 June 2024 (history)