New Possible’s British HR Awards sets out to discover and celebrate the organisations that are truly passionate about delivering a world-class people experience.
In our new Sharing Success series, we interview British HR Awards Winners to shine a light on the inspiring initiatives that are improving workplaces across the UK and beyond. In this article we talk to Sarah King, Vice Principal People and Wellbeing at Gower College Swansea, Winner of the 2024 ‘Public Sector Organisation of the Year’ category.
Introducing Sarah King
Sarah has worked in the field of HR since 1999, Sarah joined Gower College Swansea as Director of Human Resources in 2017. With her title recently changing to Vice Principal, People and Wellbeing.
About Gower College Swansea
Gower College Swansea aspires to be the best college to work for in Wales and places employee wellbeing high on the agenda to attract and retain the best staff. The college's workforce spans seven campuses, comprising lecturers and business support staff. With a team exceeding 1,000, the average staff age is 47, and women represent 60% of the workforce. However, absenteeism has been a challenge, affecting their strategic goal to provide outstanding education to learners.
Investing in women's health 'makes business sense'
In response to the growing challenges of recruiting and retaining teachers, Gower College Swansea took proactive steps to help address the issue, including a focus on women's health, particularly menopause support. Recognising the impact of menopause symptoms on female staff members, Gower College Swansea committed to becoming a menopause-friendly organisation and implemented targeted initiatives.
Through communication and awareness efforts, female staff members were encouraged to seek support for menopause symptoms, including referrals to specialist healthcare providers. There was a focus on improving wellbeing and reducing symptoms through tailored interventions, including medication and lifestyle adjustments.
A colleague of Sarah's commented: "Sarah has been an inspiration, leading on women's health and advancing a menopause initiative, which has been recognised as best practice by the Government Menopause Champion, Helen Tomlinson, Mimms Davies MP, and Carolyn Noakes, Chair of the Women's Equality Select Committee. Sarah was invited to present her work on menopause at the inaugural Menopause Roundtable Event, and her efforts were featured in a Times article on World Menopause Day."
Pilot study demonstrated success
A pilot study demonstrated significant benefits, with a 70% reduction in lost attendance days over a 12-month period, resulting in substantial cost savings and retention of valuable skills and experience. Feedback from participants highlighted the positive impact of the initiative, with individuals saying they felt calmer, more relaxed, and able to function better both at work and in daily life. They also mentioned improvements in overall mood and physical health, along with greater confidence in discussing menopause-related issues at work.
Sarah commented: “93% of staff thought that the college supports their health and wellbeing and 74% of staff felt that their wellbeing/fitness has improved as a result of engaging in the GCS wellbeing activities.”
Overall, Gower College Swansea's commitment to supporting women's health during menopause not only improved staff wellbeing but also demonstrated a successful approach to addressing workforce challenges in the education sector. Judges praised Gower College Swansea's ‘evidence based’ approach.
About New Possible
New Possible is the people insight platform that’s committed to your success. We work across a range of sectors to provide clear, actionable, and benchmarkable insights across the employee lifecycle. Our NP360 survey helps leaders gain meaningful insight into the broader people experience, measuring 7 themes, including satisfaction, culture, and wellbeing.
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