DanChurchAid

Staff welfare policy

Aim
It is DanChurchAid's (DCA) aim that each employee is satisfied and feel appreciated in
his or her job, as staff welfare and good results are closely connected.

The objectives of the staff welfare policy are the following:

 to ensure that all employees enjoy going to work and take joint responsibility for a good
and healthy work environment;
 to serve as a framework for maintaining a high degree of staff welfare in DCA by making
it transparent what tools DCA prioritises in the efforts to ensure a healthy work
environment;
 to offer a range of specific options to cope with stress and poor staff welfare if in spite of
all efforts something goes wrong.

As an employee, you are encouraged to:

 take care of yourself, listen to your body – say no in a respectful way
 pay attention to your colleagues’ welfare - take action if a colleague needs help.

Staff welfare is a joint responsibility

At DCA, every employee is expected to contribute actively to staff welfare and a good working
climate, and a vital factor in achieving this is mutual respect. The following guidelines apply at
DCA:

 Keep control of your own tasks - and respect those of your

colleagues
- Take responsibility for your tasks being clearly defined. This makes it easier for your
colleagues to understand your workload and for yourself to discuss with a colleague who
brings you more work - as well as to take on or decline new tasks.
- Clear up after yourself and your visitors.
- Take breaks during the day, get away from your computer, have a chat with your
colleagues …

 Coordinate and prioritise the group’s tasks

- Keep each other updated on the group’s work tasks and priorities. This will make heavy
workload periods visible to everybody.
- Have respect for your colleagues’ need for quiet to concentrate on their work, eg by
disconnecting their telephones or working from home.

 Members of the DCA management team have an obligation to

ensure staff welfare and are responsible for:
- putting staff welfare on the agenda for group and department meetings;
- listening to their employees’ needs and providing unequivocal feedback as to which
needs can and which cannot be met;
- having meetings with individual employees to discuss tasks and quality and give
feedback. All employees are entitled to get the assistance, support and information
required to solve their tasks in the best possible way;
- keeping a close dialogue with other management team members to ensure that
everybody works according to the same priorities.

1
Tools to ensure a good working environment
DCA actively uses the following specific tools to cope with and prevent stress as well as to
ensure a framework for a good working environment:

 Staff welfare survey

DCA seeks to ensure a high level of staff welfare by identifying employee welfare issues
and drafting concrete plans for action. At the head office, this is done by conducting a staff
welfare survey every two years. Based on

the results of the survey, all groups prepare their own specific plans of action to improve
staff welfare within the group, and a joint plan of action for DCA is also drafted. The overall
purpose is to formulate specific scopes for action directed at improving staff welfare. In the
intervening years where the survey is not conducted, the works council (SU) will have staff
welfare on the agenda. At the regional offices and HMA programmes, the HR-unit will also
take initiatives to address staff welfare issues.

 Employee development review

Once a year, the manager conducts employee development review (EDR) interviews with
each of his/her employees. Staff welfare should be included as an element in these reviews.
In addition, both managers and employees are encouraged to discuss staff welfare issues
on an ongoing basis.

 Competency development
Competency development contributes to improving quality and ensuring employee
confidence in carrying out their tasks. The individual employee and his/her immediate
superior are jointly responsible for defining the needs for competency development, both
on an ongoing basis and in connection with the annual employee development review.

 Vision & Plan and project management

V&P is used as a tool to ensure that DCA’s overall priorities are realistic and uniform
throughout the organisation. DanChurchAid projects are decided on, planned and controlled
in accordance with common procedures. When planning and controlling specific projects it
is important to make sure that time estimates are realistic.

 Social activities
Staff welfare is also about having a good relationship with your colleagues. All groups /
regional offices are encouraged to organise joint activities outside of the office once or
twice a year. At the head office, the staff association organises various activities that offer
ample opportunities for employees to laugh and have fun together.

 Induction programme for new employees

DCA finds it very important that new employees get a positive introduction to the
organisation, their new colleagues, their work, work routines, etc. At the same time, new
employees are given an introduction to relevant staff policies and procedures. At the head
office, this is particularly done through the personnel handbook, which gives the answer to
many questions and which all employees are expected to familiarise themselves with. At
the regional offices, information can be found in e.g. the Staff Manual.

Coping with stress and poor staff welfare

If, in spite of all efforts, anything goes wrong and an employee /a manager does not feel
satisfied in his/her job or gets stressed, or there is poor working climate in a group, a
number of options are available to cope with and remedy the situation:

2
  Everybody has the right and the duty to take action against
stress symptoms and poor working climate.
Pay particular attention to:
- your body’s signals. React if you experience any symptoms of stress (see the list
in Appendix 1). It is very important that you notify your manager if you feel
stressed and/or have a heavy workload;
- any symptoms of stress in a colleague or a manager. It is your right and duty to
confront your colleague/manager to offer your assistance and/or draw their
attention to the specific stress-handling tools and other options that are
available. It is the duty of the manager to arrange an interview with the
employee in order to identify the problem and jointly seek a solution. If you have
the time and resources to spare from your own tasks, you may also offer to help
your colleague with specific tasks.
- any signs of poor working climate in the group. Everybody has the right and duty
to take action, either by confronting your manager or the group as such, or by
seeking counsel from the HR Unit (see below).

 The Human Resource Unit

- Any employee, group or manager can always get assistance in the form of
sparring or counselling from the HR Unit (head of department or HR consultants)
with respect to working environment, job satisfaction, teambuilding, conflict
resolution etc. All inquiries of a private nature will be treated in confidence.

 Physical working environment and working conditions

- Any questions relating to the physical working environment at the head office
may be directed to the safety representative or the head of the service unit. At
the regional offices, questions must be directed to the regional representative.
- Questions concerning employment legal matters can be directed to the HR
consultants.
- Requests for any further needs of sparring relating to dissatisfaction with
working conditions may be directed to the staff representative or the Works
Council (SU).

 Psychological assistance
- The DCA head office has an arrangement with Falck Healthcare offering
psychological assistance to all employees in connection with work-related
problems or personal crises. You can direct a confidential inquiry to Anders Hess
or Bodil Holmsgaard, who will then contact Falck Healthcare. At the regional
offices it is also possible to offer psychological assistance; inquiries should be
directed to the regional representative. In case of work-related problems, any
external assistance should be supplemented internally by the group and, where
needed, the HR Unit.
Revised by BH/07.12.2006

3
Appendix 1: Symptoms of stress
The most common stress symptoms

Psychological symptoms:
 Irritability/anger Physical symptoms:
 Inability to concentrate  Aching muscles in back and
 Low spirits neck
 Nervousness  Headache
 Impatience/restlessness  Fatigue
 Constant worrying  Sleeping problems
 Unwillingness to be with  Increased heartbeat
others  Dryness in throat and mouth
 Loss of appetite/increased  Trembling and nervous ticks
appetite  Fainting
 Feeling pressure  Perspiration
 Nausea

Dangerous symptoms:
 Gastric ulcer
 Heart thrombosis
 Asthma
 Eczema
 Psoriasis
 Metabolic disorders
 Cardiovascular diseases
 Diabetes
 Hypertension

Stress behaviour
 Irritability with others
 Inability to make decisions
 No sense of humour
 Suppressed anger
 Inability to finish one thing before moving on to the next
 Complaining, complaining, complaining …
 Inability to concentrate
 Inability to cope
 Crying for no apparent reason
 Fatigue
 Feeling lazy
 Difficulty in pulling oneself together

4
Kilde: www.center-for-stress.dk