There are clear gaps in terms of wellbeing policies, practices, training and support across the sector – we can learn from good practice both within and outside the sector
Many respondents felt their organisation did not care about or prioritise their wellbeing, although experiences at a team level were more positive. We should think about what this means for the role of senior management and the implementation and resourcing for strategies, policies, and practices
Wellbeing was consistently positive at team level, moderated positively by co-worker support and line manager behaviour
While respondents reacted differently to changes in working patterns, the research shows that there is an overwhelmingly positive shift in wellbeing for hybrid and remote workers, this is an important point of reflection for those organisations who have not adopted more flexible working practices or have scaled back their approaches since the end of the pandemic
Museums adopt varied approaches to wellbeing, however many of these interventions are more likely to be a tactical rather than strategic. Minimising the risk or experience in the first place and thinking about wellbeing more proactively will have benefits for everyone
While over 50% of museums had wellbeing interventions in place, respondents from smaller museums highlighted they often do not have the budget, staff or infrastructure to do so – collaboration or partnerships may address this
The feedback from freelancers highlighted their commitment to managing their own wellbeing, but also showed that many interventions were not accessible to them
While it’s good that over a third of respondents working with communities had access to external support, there are still gaps in provision
The variety of responses demonstrated that wellbeing is an individual matter and whilst organisation-wide policies are necessary there should always be space for individual conversations and interventions to meet the needs of a diverse sector