Life / Work Balance Charter
The Birmingham Diocesan Multi-Academy Trust has at its foundation the principles of the Christian faith and is particularly guided by the statement in John 10:10 where Jesus proclaims, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”. The Trust directors have therefore used this quote from the gospel to guide its first vision statement – life in its fullness, for all. We want all our pupils AND our staff members to be able to experience life in its full; for this to occur staff must have a good life / work balance. This charter therefore sets out our commitment within the organisation at all levels to ensure that staff feel they have the right balance in their lives; to reinforce this we have used the phrase life / work balance rather than work / life balance to reiterate the need to prioritise our whole lives rather than the work element. We believe that this charter not only supports our Christian mission but also ensures we are a good employer to our staff, therefore helping to promote retention of colleagues.
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Health Assured
This is an employee assistance programme (EAP) to support you through life’s issues and problems.
Disability Confident
As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we have committed to:
- ensure our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible
- communicating and promoting vacancies
- offering an interview to disabled people
- anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required
- supporting any existing employee who acquires a disability or long term health condition, enabling them to stay in work
- at least one activity that will make a difference for disabled people
BDMAT Disability Confident Certificate
Dying to work charter
We have committed to the dying to work charter:
- We recognise that terminal illness requires support and understanding and not additional and avoidable stress and worry.
- Terminally ill workers will be secure in the knowledge that we will support them following their diagnosis and we recognise that, safe and reasonable work can help maintain dignity, offer a valuable distraction and can be therapeutic in itself.
- We will provide our employees with the security of work, peace of mind and the right to choose the best course of action for themselves and their families which helps them through this challenging period with dignity and without undue financial loss.
- We support the TUC’s Dying to Work campaign so that all employees battling terminal illness have adequate employment protection and have their death in service benefits protected for the loved ones they leave behind.
Employer with Heart
We are committed to the employer with heart charter in order to support parents with premature babies and we agree to:
- Extend maternity leave for mothers who give birth prematurely (before 37 weeks gestation) by the number of days a baby was born prior to their due date. We will pay extended leave at full pay and this may be classed as compassionate leave.
- Give dads the time they need to be with their baby in hospital, receiving at least two weeks’ paid compassionate leave on the birth of their premature baby. Fathers may wish to save or split their paternity leave, being there when their baby comes home from hospital. We understand that plans may change depending upon the baby’s medical needs, that additional compassionate leave may be required and that the date a baby will come home from hospital is rarely set in stone.
- Support parents returning to work following the birth of a premature baby. We understand that returning to work can be a difficult time for parents of premature babies and that babies born too soon can have ongoing medical needs, requiring regular hospital appointments and check-ups. We therefore follow the ACAS best practice guidance, considering formal and informal flexible working patterns and offering additional paid or unpaid leave.
To find out more about employer with heart, please click here
UKME/GM Network
We are working together to discuss issues surrounding our UKME/GM colleagues and UKME/GM pupils. We are working towards representation of UKME/GM groups across BDMAT at all levels; increased knowledge and awareness of inclusion through diversity training; the development of a curricula that reflects Britain; a better understanding of issues; and outcome measurements for all UKME/GM groups in the organisation. We have a commitment to our staff to ensure that every person in our organisation is treated equally.
LGBTQ+
We are working towards the Stonewall Diversity Champions programme in order to ensure that our LGBTQ+ staff are accepted and truly equal.
To find out more about the Stonewall Diversity Champions programme, please click here