The safety and wellbeing of our people is paramount
All our employees have the right to a safe and inclusive working environment where they have access to the right tools and support to manage their own wellbeing. The safety and wellbeing of our employees is paramount.
Our safety programme
Our manufacturing activities present a range of risks. These include slips, trips and falls, work in confined spaces, machinery operation and working at height, among others. we monitor and aim to eliminate, mitigate and manage all risks. Our approach to identifying and assessing safety risks is embedded within our approach to risk management.
Employee wellbeing
The importance of our employees' wellbeing has been enhanced in COVID-19 times as we have all had challenges balancing work and personal commitments. Our wellbeing programmes support employees in both their work and personal responsibilities. Our Employee Assistance Programme provides assistance to employees across a range of issues, including mental and financial wellbeing. Assistance comes in the form of 'in the moment' telephone support and counselling where required. We have signed the Mental Health at Work commitment, which pledges employers to change the way we all think and act about mental health in the workplace.
Our response to Covid-19
Throughout the pandemic, our priority has been, and continues to be, the health and wellbeing of our employees. We introduced a number of measures to return employees safely back to work where their role could not be carried out from home. Measures included: return to work inductions outlining new working practices; additional hygiene measures and temperature checks; increased provision of PPE; introduction of physical distancing practices where possible which included reconfiguring our workplaces and practices such as elongated shift patterns to maintain output and staggered shift changes to improve personnel flows; capping the number of workers on site at any given time; and zoning systems to keep groups of workers together in bubbles. Through these and other measures, we reduced the risks of Covid-19 spread and preserved our ability to deliver a number of critical milestones for our customers.
We bolstered our IT network capacity and provided additional hardware and software so that employees who could carry out their roles at home could do so. To assist home-working, we developed guides to support employees in maintaining their safety, security, wellbeing and productivity whilst working effectively from home.
Supporting our employees' mental health
For us, being open and providing support for the mental health of our employees is a vital element in ensuring BAE Systems has an inclusive work culture.
Reducing stress and building resilience
Our free mental health and wellbeing webinars and personal development opportunities have helped employees take time for themselves, learn new skills and enhance resilience.
