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DCU People Employee Wellbeing Strategy 2025 - 2028

Introduction

DCU Healthy - Mental Health and Wellbeing

Employee Wellbeing Strategy

DCU People recognises that the wellbeing of our employees is fundamental to fostering a thriving, engaged, and productive academic and professional community. 

This strategy outlines our commitment to supporting employee wellbeing through four interconnected pillars: physical wellbeing, psychological wellbeing, social wellbeing, and financial wellbeing. 

Through a proactive and supportive approach, we aim to create a healthy, balanced, and inclusive working environment for everyone.

To support employee wellbeing, we commit to:

  • Creating a workplace culture that ensures and promotes the health, safety and physical, psychological, social and financial wellbeing of all employees.
  • Placing employee health and wellbeing at the core of our policies and operational practices.
  • Offering health and wellbeing resources, tools and supports.
  • Empowering employees to have conversations around mental health and wellbeing, and recognise and support those who need our help.
  • Cultivating an environment where everyone has a voice, can flourish, feels valued and feels they belong.
  • Collaborating with colleagues in Student Support and Development to holistically promote mental health and wellbeing for employees, students and our wider community.
  • Continuously assess the effectiveness of wellbeing initiatives and adapt based on feedback and evolving needs.
  • Sharing our learnings, insights and progress regularly with stakeholders. 

Context

This Employee Wellbeing Strategy and its implementation plan align with key national frameworks, including Healthy Ireland at Work: A National Framework for Healthy Workspaces in Ireland, the Civil Service Health and Wellbeing Framework, and the Higher Education Authority’s Healthy Campus Charter and Framework. It also sits as a core part of the DCU Healthy Framework which seeks to embed wellbeing across the staff, student and community spaces. 

The Employee Wellbeing Strategy embodies DCU’s Guiding Philosophy: People, Focus, Impact.

  • People: DCU places people at the heart of our mission. Our wellbeing strategy demonstrates the value we place on our people through structured support in every facet of wellbeing.
  • Focus: DCU’s focus is on delivering excellence in education, research, and innovation. Wellbeing ensures that the university’s employees are equipped and focused to deliver on strategic goals.
  • Impact: DCU aims to make a positive and measurable impact on individuals, communities, and society. A thriving workforce directly enhances the university’s ability to create meaningful impact internally and externally.

This Strategy directly supports DCU People’s commitments under Priority 2 of DCU’s Strategic Plan: Valuing and Developing our Staff and Community, where we aim to:

  • Enhance the ‘Our DCU’ plan to foster a positive staff culture, strengthen our sense of community, and enrich the campus experience - creating an environment where both staff and students can connect and thrive.
  • Invest in talent development, succession planning, and the growth of staff capabilities, while promoting collective performance and collaboration.

Wellbeing is also one of the five key pillars of the ‘Our DCU’ framework. Through this framework, DCU is dedicated to implementing and promoting practices and policies that help employees balance the demands of work and home life, while also providing support and guidance whenever needed.

Strategic Pillars

Minimalist graphic of two blue outline hands cupping a kettlebell on a pale blue background, with concentric arcs in the top-left—symbolizing physical wellbeing.

Physical Wellbeing

Physical Wellbeing

Objective: Promote and support the physical health of employees to enhance their quality of life and work performance.

Key Initiatives:

  • Healthy Workspaces: Ensure ergonomic workstations, access to equipment, and signpost to guidance on safe working practices.
  • Fitness and Activity Programmes: Signpost to DCU Sport ‘special-rate memberships’ for gym access, facilitate on-campus fitness classes including yoga classes.
  • Health Services: Coordinate health awareness campaigns and provide access to health services such as Pink and Blue Power and My Heart Matters initiatives, and facilitate referrals to occupational health where relevant.
  • Flexible Work Options: Support remote working, offer flexible working options and encourage regular breaks to reduce physical strain.
  • Policy and Procedures: Support with the implementation and regular updating of health and safety policies and procedures that support physical wellbeing.
Minimal line icon of two open hands cradling a human head profile on a pale blue background with curved ripple lines—symbolizing psychological wellbeing

Psychological Wellbeing

Psychological Wellbeing

Objective: Foster a workplace culture that promotes psychological wellbeing by creating an environment where individuals feel valued, emotionally supported, and equipped to thrive both personally and professionally.

Key Initiatives:

  • Counselling and Support Services: Provide confidential access to counselling through in-house staff counselling support, and through remote counselling and mental health resources offered by our Employee Assistance Service.
  • Wellbeing & Resilience Programmes: Offer workshops that enhance emotional regulation, mindfulness, positive coping strategies, and resilience, empowering employees to maintain psychological balance in daily life.
  • Balanced Work Design: Promote psychological wellbeing through equitable workload management, clear role expectations, and autonomy in decision-making, supporting a healthy work-life integration.
  • Leadership Training in Psychological Safety: Train managers and team leaders to foster psychologically safe teams, recognise early signs of distress, and create open, non-judgemental spaces for discussion and support.
  • Culture of Dignity and Respect: Cultivate a working environment that is underpinned by dignity and respect and is inclusive at all levels; actively addressing behaviours such as bullying and harassment that can undermine psychological wellbeing.
  • Policy Development and Implementation: Where appropriate, develop and implement mental health and wellbeing policies that support overall psychological wellbeing of employees.
Minimal line icon of two open hands cradling a speech bubble on a pale blue background with curved ripple lines—symbolizing social wellbeing

Social Wellbeing

Social Wellbeing

Objective: Foster a sense of community and belonging through meaningful connections, collaborative opportunities, and inclusive spaces to prevent loneliness and isolation.

Key Initiatives:

  • Networking and Social Events: Organise regular staff events such as the ‘Our DCU’ coffee events, and team-building activities.
  • Inclusive Culture: Promote equality, diversity, and inclusion through awareness campaigns and training.
  • Mentorship and Peer Support: Continue to build our mentorship programmes, peer support and staff networks.
  • Recognition and Appreciation: Celebrate employee achievements and milestones through awards and acknowledgments.
  • Policy Development and Implementation: Where appropriate, establish and implement inclusive workplace culture policies that support inclusive environments, community building, and anti-discrimination practices.
Minimalist graphic of two blue outline hands cupping a euro coin on a pale blue background, with concentric arcs in the top-left—symbolizing financial wellbeing.

Financial Wellbeing

Financial Wellbeing

Objective: Support employees in achieving financial security and literacy to reduce stress and enhance overall wellbeing.

Key Initiatives:

  • Financial Education: Provide financial support workshops such as the Financial Fit for Life seminar series.
  • Employee Benefits: Offer access to relevant pension schemes, and additional benefits such as the Group Income Continuance scheme and payment for sickness absences.
  • Discount Schemes: Facilitate access to employee taxsaver schemes such as DCU Travel Pass Scheme and DCU Cycle to Work Scheme.
  • Policy Development and Implementation: Where appropriate, create and maintain clear policies on salary increments, pay upon promotion processes, and salary progression.

Implementation and Evaluation 

Implementation:

  • Assign a dedicated wellbeing team within DCU People to oversee the strategy’s rollout and coordinate initiatives.
  • Develop a three year implementation plan, using a SMART approach, focused on activities under the four pillars.
  • Collaborate with departments to tailor support to specific staff needs, where feasible.

Evaluation:

  • Conduct regular employee wellbeing pulse surveys and feedback sessions.
  • Monitor participation rates in wellbeing programmes.
  • Assess the impact on staff satisfaction, retention, and performance.