Tuesday 12-11-2024 - 00:00

In 2023, we published the findings of our report into officer wellbeing. The project saw 468 current or previous SU and NUS officers share their experiences with us.

Officers told us about their experiences and the impact of the role on their wellbeing and mental health. We heard from officers that:

• Work/life balance was believed to be very poor by 59% of respondents. They explained they felt there was just too much work to do, with no clear boundaries or out-of-office time.
• 52% of the officers in the online survey who received accountability or criticisms as part of their role highlighted the negative impact this had on their mental health.
• A huge 56% of officers received abuse. Breaking this down further, a third of officers indicated abuse came through their own personal social media, and in particular, Facebook.
• Disabled officers were significantly more likely to receive abuse via their personal social accounts. After receiving abuse, the negative impact on health and wellbeing was significantly more likely amongst women, whilst non-white officers were more likely to have safe spaces provided.
• Of those who had received abuse online, the majority told us this had made their mental health worse in terms of developing anxiety, lost confidence and made them question their worth. A third of all officers indicated they had not received any training to deal with this.

Following this, we committed to shining a light on how we support officers as a sector, and what we might do differently to improve their experiences for years to come. Recognising and supporting officer wellbeing and resilience is vital to ensure they thrive in their roles.

Our new officer wellbeing & resilience guidance for students’ unions builds on this work and is designed to support students’ unions to create a more emotionally resilient workforce. The guidance provides comprehensive insights and practical advice for supporting officers’ mental wellbeing in the workplace. From identifying stress factors to outlining proactive organisational approaches, it offers tools for building a supportive environment and equipping officers with skills to manage their wellbeing.

Additionally, it outlines actions for students’ unions as organisations, as well as for staff and officers themselves, to ensure a proactive approach. There’s a clear focus on recognising stress signals early, cultivating a wellbeing-focused culture, and implementing support measures, such as stress risk assessments and wellbeing action plans.

This guidance is designed to help students’ unions to prioritise officer wellbeing and create an environment where officers feel valued, supported, and equipped to make a lasting impact. 
 
You can read and download the guidance in English here. This guidance is also available yn Gymraeg.

You can read the 2023 Officer Wellbeing Report here.