Victoria Ryves
Learning and community development manager, Doncaster Culture Services and a Museums Association rep for the north of England
“Museums care for their objects and care for their audiences. They should also care for their staff. Creating a culture of care will enable teams to thrive, and to continue to do good work. Support looks and feels different to different people. So to best support frontline staff, wellbeing support should be co-produced with them. Wellbeing support at work is more than ‘wellbeing days’ – it requires a culture shift towards positive working practices like good communication, encouraging rest and ongoing dialogue.”
Shahnila Shafiq
Gallery assistant at Glasgow Museums and a Museums Association rep for Scotland
“There are many ways to support wellbeing. These include giving frontline staff a proper lunchbreak, providing opportunities for CPD, and ensuring people of colour, especially women, are not bullied or discriminated against. Ensure frontline staff with a social media profile have a way to report bullying, sexual harassment and racism, especially by senior colleagues in the organisation or sector. Try to involve frontline staff in the decision-making process that directly impacts their working life.”
Tamsin Russell
Workforce development lead, Museums Association
“Wellbeing has been identified as the key issue by front-of-house colleagues. We know it has affected them via poor pay and hostile or problematic interactions with visitors. We have identified 40 recommendations that would ultimately support wellbeing. In addition to asking your immediate teams what would support them specifically, use these recommendations to start the conversation, and audit your current practice to make change.”
