Staff have easy access to expert help with both workplace and personal issues – thanks to a new Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) being launched this week.

Whether you have questions on issues from debt and landlords to nutrition and stress, the EAP website should have the answers.

If not, you can telephone the providers, Care first/Sodexho, free of charge and get help from an information specialist or an accredited counsellor.

Key facts

-All EAP communications and consultations are completely confidential between you and the EAP.
-The same confidentiality applies to any additional support provided or organised for you by the EAP, eg counselling.
-You contact the EAP directly; you do not have to go through your manager to access any of the support the EAP provides
-For managers, a dedicated area of the EAP website offers generic advice on dealing with both individual and team issues; access the link below and click on the Managers tab.

The EAP providers, Care first/Sodexho, were chosen following a competitive tender and interview process, which included input from trades unions. Advice and support is provided at no cost to staff; the University funds all costs associated with the EAP

The EAP incorporates the existing University Wellbeing resource provided by Revitalised, which offers advice on all aspects of wellbeing, including self-assessment.

How to access

Take a look at all the EAP has to offer on its website: www.carefirst-lifestyle.co.uk

Log-in details are: USERNAME: uokent PASSWORD: university

For telephone advice, the freephone number is 0808 168 2143.

If you wish to know more about the EAP before accessing its website or services, see the Occupational Health intranet pages. If you still have questions after this, email occupationalhealth@kent.ac.uk or discuss with your manager, HR or trades union representative.

Remember that the EAP is a great resource so keep these log-in and contact details handy!

Since implementing the furniture reuse and management system, Warp It, back in January 2016 we’ve hit a huge milestone!

Warp It is designed to make it very easy for staff at the University of Kent to loan or give surplus items to other staff. Furthermore, items that aren’t needed within the University can be passed onto partner organisations and charities. This has helped us to achieve savings in time and money and being smarter with our resources.

So far, we’ve saved:

• £744,988
• 120,157KG waste
• 366,130KG CO2

And we’ve:

• donated £49,680 to not for profits organisations
• gained 711 members

So, if you have an item that is taking up space that you don’t need, put it on Warp It. Or if you’re looking for an item check Warp It before you buy new!

What items can be reused through Warp It?

Reusable furniture, fixtures and fittings and office consumables (such as stationary and folders) and much more *, if you’re not sure if your item can be listed please contact warpit@kent.ac.uk for advice.

How do I register?

Visit our Warp It homepage. Make sure you bookmark it. Hit the big green button which says ‘register’ now. Once you register you’ll get further instructions. You can browse items on Warp It by hitting the search button.

• Learn how to add an item here.
• Learn how to claim an item here.

If you want to know more about the system in general, go to www.getwarpit.com where there are examples of how the system is working well in other organisations just like ours. You can also check out the Frequently Asked Questions here.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with warpit@kent.ac.uk

*items remain the property of the University-not for private use

Any claims made by 9 December will be delivered by 19 December. Any items claims after this date will not be delivered until the New Year.