Thank you to those clergy and Readers who responded to our wellbeing survey at the end of last year. We were delighted that 40% of clergy and almost 50% of LLMs provided feedback on how they were currently feeling and what more we might be able to do to help.
The diocesan wellbeing group are going to take time to go through all the responses properly, but here are some initial headlines.
Clergy wellbeing survey
The positive news is that three quarters of clergy who responded felt they were in good or very good health. Sadly, nearly 70% of clergy continue to work when they feel too unwell to do so and many clergy also don’t feel they have sufficient time to spend with family and friends.
it is important that clergy don’t feel under pressure to continue to work when they are unwell and we will be considering how we can make our sickness reporting policy more straightforward. Only 7% of clergy said they take two days off per week and these are unlikely to be consecutive - a further action will be exploring how we can enable more clergy to do this.
Over half of clergy have experienced bullying or harassment in the context of their work, with 8% experiencing it frequently within the last five years. As a diocese, we have a zero tolerance to any kind of harassment and although Area Deans, Archdeacons and the diocesan HR team are always prepared to offer support and advice, we are aware that clergy might find this difficult to report through formal channels. The diocesan wellbeing group is currently exploring whether we can offer some form of independent, confidential reporting service to offer an alternative channel for highlighting difficult situations.
Although most clergy felt that they would access diocesan support at times of vulnerability, there was a mixed picture with regard to this and wider pastoral support for clergy. Not quite half of those responding agreed that the diocesan team adequately supports their health and wellbeing needs, highlighting a need to be clearer about the support that is available and how it can be accessed.
We were pleased that the majority of those responding felt secure and that their ministry was valued. Most agreed that they had a strong sense of calling compared to when they were first ordained and felt they were fulfilling their sense of vocation. However, the survey highlighted areas where we could do better to improve wellbeing among our clergy colleagues, and the wellbeing group will be looking at these over the coming weeks and months, including offering support in the area of financial wellbeing thanks to some national funding.
Reader wellbeing survey
Over two-thirds of Readers who responded to the survey considered themselves in very good or good health, although almost of quarter have a long-term health condition or disability which affects their daily life. Readers are better at taking sick leave when they need to with only 14% sometimes or often working when they knew they shouldn’t. The majority of respondents felt they had sufficient time to spend with family and friends.
Almost a quarter of Readers have experienced bullying and harassment in the context of their ministry, with this mostly occurring rarely and occasionally rather than frequently. However, most did not report it. Almost a third of Readers weren’t sure they were equipped to deal with bullying and harassment when they witness it, demonstrating a need for more work in this area.
The majority of Readers felt their ministry is valued and they are happy in the current context and around three quarters feel the amount of time given to their Reader Ministry is about right, although 14% do feel it is slightly excessive and around a fifth feel they don’t have enough meetings with their incumbent or clergy supervisor.
Although most were aware of the diocesan counselling service and many knew about the Warden’s Discretionary Fund, none of the respondents had actually accessed these and over the coming the wellbeing group will also be looking at ways in which they can make the support available to Readers clearer and more accessible.
Thank you
Thank you again to all those who took the time to complete the survey. We will continue to keep everyone informed with actions we are taking as a result of this feedback, and the survey won’t be a one-off. We will be looking to repeat it in future years to see whether the changes we have made have had an impact.
