This policy is for all employees of SpacetoCo and sets out our policy for how we care for your health and wellbeing
Why we have this policy
We want our workplace to have a positive and healthy culture.
To achieve that our workplace policies, practices and environments are designed with your wellbeing in mind.
This policy applies to all employees at our workplace, and to anyone who comes into our workplace.
SpacetoCo cares about the physical, mental, and emotional health and safety of our team and our guests. We want you to be safe and thrive in our workplace.
Mental wellbeing
Our workplace has a role in promoting, protecting and supporting our employees’ mental wellbeing.
We recognise the experience of mental distress is common and that anyone can be affected at any stage of their lives. We are committed to supporting any employees experiencing mental distress.
If you are experiencing distress, we will do as much as we can to help you to stay at work and/or support your return to work when you are ready. Any health conditions or disabilities will be treated in confidence. We will never share any information about you unless you have agreed to it, and only to ensure your wellbeing and safety and that of those around you.
How we will promote good mental wellbeing
We will manage you in ways that promotes your mental wellbeing.
As your employer, we will do the following:
- Encourage a culture of openness – you can speak up about any concerns at any time and know you will be heard.
- Make sure you feel supported to seek help for any issues or distress, including using our conflict resolution processes.
- Make sure you understand what is expected of you at work – in your work tasks and acceptable behaviour.
- Check-in with you at agreed times to ensure your workload is manageable, and to discuss any issues.
- Offer flexible work practices wherever possible and/or legally required.
- Support opportunities for professional skills development and growth.
- Employ and promote you based on your abilities, rather than any perceived disabilities.
- Not tolerate bullying, harassment, or discriminatory behaviour.
- Allow employees to manage their work schedule around their mental health needs
Our expectations of you
You can do a lot to protect your own mental well-being at work. As our employee, we expect you to:
- Treat everyone with respect and civility
- Speak up if you need help or support
- Speak up about any bullying, harassment, or discriminatory behaviour you notice happening in our workplace
- Take your own steps to stay mentally healthy at work (eg taking rest breaks, speaking up if stressed)
- Support workmates to speak up if they need help for anything affecting their mental health
- Access support if you need it – see the Help finding support section in this policy
- Ask about options (eg flexible working arrangements, special leave) if you feel you need time away from work to manage your mental health.
Encouraging positive actions
To maintain a mentally healthy workplace we will:
- Consult with you and other staff about what workplace wellbeing means to you, and what initiatives you might like
- Provide contact details for support services you can access easily and discreetly
- Encourage you to take breaks, both to rest and to connect with others
- Regularly support mental health and wellbeing initiatives, such as Mental Health Awareness Week
- Organise occasions for you to connect with other employees at and away from work
- Encourage you to get outside during breaks, which is good for your physical and mental wellbeing
Alcohol
Our workplace culture does not put alcohol at the centre of how we socialise, celebrate and say thank you.
Our expectations of you
We expect you not to come to work under the influence of alcohol or be affected by alcohol in a way that could impact on health and safety or your work performance (eg hungover).
If you do come to work affected by alcohol we may consider you to have breached our code of conduct. You could face disciplinary action.
Support for harmful drinking and alcohol addiction
If you are concerned about how much you drink, and would like help to reduce your alcohol intake, see the Help finding support section in this policy.
Drinking alcohol at work
If we allow alcohol at our workplace or at any work-related events we will always supply alcohol in a responsible manner.
This includes:
- not supplying alcohol when drinking could increase the risk of injury
- making sure no one drinks alcohol and then drives or operates machinery
- not allowing anyone who is intoxicated to drink more
- not supplying alcohol to anyone under 18 without having approval ("express consent") from their parent or guardian.
We take host responsibility seriously, especially around alcohol. See the Responsible hosting section of this policy.
Smokefree at work
SpacetoCo is a remote-first workplace and has no permanent office premises. Therefore the following policy applies when at the premises of our partners, hosts and guest premises.
There is no smoking allowed
- Within 10 metres of any workplace building, doorway or window
- Any outdoor worksites
- In a company-owned vehicle
- Any events or activities we organise or sponsor, even if not held at our workplace
- Anywhere the Smoke-free Environments Act or other laws forbid smoking.
- Vaping and e-cigarettes: The terms of this policy also apply to vaping and using e-cigarettes, and other tobacco products that are not smoked.
- Smoking in uniform: You may not smoke in public areas where smoking is allowed if you are identifiable as our employee. If you must smoke while wearing branded clothing or other items, you must change or cover them up.
Want to quit smoking?
If you do smoke and would like help to stop using tobacco, we can support you. See our Help finding support section in this policy for more information.
SunSmart
As your employer we are required to protect you from workplace risks.
Because exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause cancer, we will take steps to minimise your exposure during work hours.
If you need to work outside, we will monitor UV levels, make sure your work time in the sun is limited, and that you have access to shade wherever possible.
You are also expected to take steps to protect yourself if you are outside when UV levels are high (generally September to April, 10am – 4pm).
Ways you could do that may include:
- Limiting your time in the sun by working inside or in shade as much as you can
- Wearing long-sleeved shirts with collars, long trousers or knee-length skirts or shorts
- Wearing a wide-brimmed hat that shades your face, head, neck and ears
- Wearing close-fitting sunglasses
- Wearing a water-resistant, broad-spectrum sunscreen that is at least SPF30, applying it 20 minutes before going outside, and reapplying it every two hours
- Regularly drinking water to stay hydrated.
If you have any concerns about sun exposure when working, or any suggestions for how we can better protect you, talk to your manager.
Help finding support
There may be times you need support to deal with difficult issues or to help someone close to you deal with theirs.
If you need support we will:
- Encourage you to ask for help as early as possible to reduce the chances of problems growing - all disclosures will be treated confidentially
- Do what we can to help you find the support you need
- Allow you time off work to deal with issues, as set out in the sick leave section of your employment agreement
- Encourage you to seek appropriate help if you know or strongly suspect an employee might harm themselves or needs help – or if you need help yourself.
You could also find support by:
- Talking to your manager or a colleague for advice and support
- Going to see your doctor or another health professional
- Talking to a trained counsellor.
- Calling 000 or 111 if there is an immediate crisis.
Training
We will train our managers and other appropriate employees how to recognise and respond to employees who need support in our workplace for whatever is causing distress.
If you would like training, please talk to your line manager
We will also provide resources to you about other health and wellbeing subjects. If you feel you would like information on a particular issue, please ask your manager
Stay at work/return to work
We understand there are many reasons why you may need support coming back to work after time away from the workplace.
We also understand there may be times when some extra support or flexibility from us could help you stay at work during these times.
If you are away from work for any reason, we will keep communicating with you.
We will talk to you in ways you are comfortable and will work alongside your support people and health professionals (where appropriate) to see what changes we can make to help you come back to work or to stay at work.
What we agree will be supported by a return-to-work/stay-at-work plan.
When you are back at work
When you have returned to work, we will continue to talk to make sure the plan is working for both of us.
All details will be treated in confidence. We would share your information only after discussions with you, only with your consent, and only to ensure the wellbeing and safety of you and those around you.
Breaches
These policies reflect ‘the way we do things around here’.
Depending on the seriousness of the breach, if you are found to have breached these policies we will:
- Talk with you to make sure you know the terms of the policy you have breached, including what appropriate support we can offer (such as counselling, quit smoking support)
- Make sure you know the required behaviour expected from now on
- Take disciplinary action if necessary.
See our code of conduct and the ‘Serious misconduct’ clause of your employment agreement for more information about what behaviour is expected and what action may be taken for breaches.