Our newly launched corporate plan outlines four priority areas which will help us achieve our vision to create better places to live, work and visit.
At the core of our efforts is the ongoing development of our organisation.
We recently reinforced our commitment to employee wellbeing with the appointment of our Inclusion, Wellbeing and HR Policy Manager Claire Cairns.
This Mental Health Awareness Week (12-18 May), we sat down with Claire to discuss her role and the value of mental health and wellbeing. With Claire joining our team, we’re taking important steps to ensure our people feel valued, heard and empowered.
Claire’s background is in HR where, for 20 years, she’s had a variety of roles across both public and private sectors. Most recently she worked in a people partner role, focusing on diversity and inclusion and supporting employees across the UK, South Africa and India.
She’s brought her experience and insight into what works, and what doesn’t, when it comes to staff welfare.
“Being new to role, it’s a great opportunity to review our current offering, promote the use of the current available tools and come up with new ideas to continue to ensure we support the health and wellbeing of our employees.”
Image: Claire Cairns, HR Policy Manager
Claire is keen to promote the initiatives that are in place which includes a quiet hour giving staff an hour a day when emails shouldn’t be sent.
“I really love that we have quiet hour and everyone respects this time. We really encourage staff to make the most of it by using that time to enjoy working without interruption, it’s there for a reason.
There are many other ways that we prioritise staff mental health including flexible working, access to support and apps, and our stepping away policy."
“Our Mental Health Toolkit was launched in November 2023 and contains several great tools, strategies and resources that can be used to help maintain or improve your mental health.
We also have an Employee Healthcare scheme supporting staff with both mental and physical wellbeing. And the Employee Assistance Service [EAP] offers 24hr online and offline personal support.
Mental and physical health should be embedded into our organisation, not just talked about during Mental Health Awareness Week."
Within VisitScotland, Claire and her team support several internal staff-led groups focused on health, mental wellbeing, and peer support. These groups play a vital role in creating safe spaces for open conversations, sharing resources, and building community.
“We have some great employee networks. One group, focused on health, is our Women’s Health Group which meets regularly to discuss health concerns, raise awareness and share useful information.
We also have our Inclusive Network Alliance who meet regularly and similarly share useful information and look at activity that can improve all aspects of work such as our Disability Confident scheme.”
Image: Colleagues at work in the office
Looking forward, Claire and the team recognise the link between mental and physical health and will be looking at new activity that would support both team development and physical activity.
“Mental and physical health should be embedded into our organisation, not just talked about during Mental Health Awareness Week. We want wellbeing to be more than an initiative - it should be a guiding principle.”
