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First words

The conscience of theÌýorganisation’ is one phrase that’sÌýbeen coined to describe the roleÌýof the workplace counsellor¹.ÌýAs our work is frequentlyÌýuncomfortable at a personal, organisational andÌýpolitical level, I think there’s often a lot on ourÌýconscience too. This thought has been much onÌýmy mind as I’ve put together this issue followingÌýthe Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¾«×¼×ÊÁÏ Joint Practitioners’ Conference heldÌýearlier this year. I found it an incrediblyÌýstimulating day’s CPD and my thanks go to fourÌýof the speakers: Keon West, Melissa Morbeck,ÌýTina Abbott and Sandi Mann, who all presentedÌýas part of the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¾«×¼×ÊÁÏ Workplace programme andÌýwho have contributed articles to this conferenceÌýspecial issue.

Beginning with a health warning, Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¾«×¼×ÊÁÏÌýWorkplace keynote speaker and socialÌýpsychologist, Keon West, informed us that hisÌýpresentation might make us feel uncomfortable.ÌýHe was right. It did. This discomfort serves asÌýinformation about the bias that exists withinÌýour society and, more unsettling, within ourÌýown belief systems, and is explored inÌý‘Uncomfortable truths’. Keon considersÌýhow prejudice and privilege operate in societyÌýand how discrimination in the workplace, basedÌýon gender and ethnicity, continues. The lack ofÌýdiversity in the higher echelons of our public andÌýprivate bodies and organisations, a steadyÌýgender-based pay gap and a widening White-Black pay gap are just some of the truths. ForÌýme, the words ‘equal opportunities employer’,Ìýdon’t have quite the same ring after readingÌýthis article.

The theme of uncomfortable truths remainsÌýpresent in Melissa Morbeck and MatthewÌýLewry’s article, ‘Hitting home’. The CorporateÌýAlliance Against Domestic Violence (The Alliance)Ìýis a charity committed to working withÌýorganisations to understand the impact ofÌýdomestic violence on their workforce. It’sÌýshocking to learn that 75 per cent of peopleÌýwho are experiencing domestic violence willÌýbe targeted at work, because the perpetratorÌýknows exactly where to find them, and knowsÌýthey will pick up their phone or leave the buildingÌýat the end of the day. Employers have a duty ofÌýcare to their employees experiencing domesticÌýviolence, so what measures do organisationsÌýneed to have in place and how can they bestÌýsupport their employees?

Practitioners are often reticent aboutÌýpresenting statistics, but if stakeholders andÌýfunders do not know what we do and what ourÌýimpact is, why would they continue to fund us?ÌýIn ‘The value of evidence’, Tina Abbott explainsÌýhow she had to provide a robust response whenÌýher employer announced that her counsellingÌýservice was under review. She shares theÌýpresentation she and fellow executive member,ÌýBarry McInnes, gave to the conference on theÌýimportance of measuring the outcomes of theÌýwork that we do in the counselling room. ThisÌývital data can be used to fight for, championÌýand save in-house counselling services underÌýthreat from budget cuts and outsourcing.

Linda Smith, the late comedian, onceÌýdescribed her early experience of working in aÌýsupermarket as being much ‘like spending yourÌýyouth in Poland under martial law’, a sentimentÌýthat I suspect might resonate for many reflectingÌýon our former workplaces. So when our regularÌý‘Workplace matters’ columnist, Sandi Mann,Ìýasked us at conference: who works for ‘a funÌýorganisation’? perhaps it was not surprising thatÌýmost hands stayed firmly down. During times ofÌýausterity, organisations become even less fun.ÌýBut what are the benefits of humour to theÌýworkplace and how might an organisationÌýcreate a more fun-loving culture without itÌýbeing nauseatingly insincere? This is whatÌýSandi weighs up in ‘All work and no play’.

And finally, wrapping up our conferenceÌýissue, my thanks go to Nick Wood for providingÌýhis reflections on attending the conference.Ìý

In our regular interview slot, ‘Inside theÌýorganisation’, Liz Aston, of Birmingham CityÌýCouncil, sheds light on how the relentlessÌýprocess of change within local governmentÌýimpacts on staff wellbeing and how her teamÌýresponds to meet the need. And Hilary GreenÌýreturns with the second part of her seriesÌý‘The new counsellor’ in which she experiencesÌýan uncomfortable encounter with a client.

Reflecting on your recent responses toÌýthe Counselling at Work readers’ survey, it’sÌýheartening to discover that there is much thatÌýyou find both useful and relevant to your workÌýcovered within these pages. If you took the timeÌýto fill out the survey – and you know who youÌýare – thank you. Your responses to specificÌýtopics that have appeared in the journal, such asÌýresilience, supervision and trauma, suggest thatÌýthese have been well received. And to thoseÌýwho’ve observed a regional bias in the coverage,Ìýplease can I assure all readers that I welcomeÌýyour ideas for articles, wherever you are,Ìýeither geographically or theoretically speaking.

If you think you have an article of potentialÌýinterest to Counselling at Work readers orÌýperhaps if you know an inspiring colleagueÌýwhom you think would make a goodÌýinterviewee, please do drop me a line. WhereverÌýyou are in the country, it’s good to hear fromÌýpractitioners and workplace specialists involvedÌýin the many endeavours which name andÌýaddress the concerns and uncomfortableÌýtruths that people face and which help toÌýmake our organisations more emotionallyÌýand psychologically healthy places.

Nicola Banning
Editor
counsellingatwork@bacp.co.uk

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