HAS 7/7 CHANGED HOW WE FEEL ABOUT WORK?

Kate Nowlan, Chief Executive of CiC, a leading employee assistance programme provider admits that some organisations have carried on in pretty much in the same way as they did before the 7/7 bombings. However, others have placed higher emphasis on their business continuity planning protocols, and are putting in place training programmes that address the human aspects of exposure to critical incidents. There is a heightened awareness of risks to employees, particularly those who use public transport in central London, and companies are seriously taking on board the need to prepare their staff for emergencies. For those organisations who are really changing their approach to crisis management, there will be less fear in the air as the anniversary of 7th July draws near.

Implementing change is challenging and CiC is providing a forum for a range of issues related to change in organisations by holding a seminar on ‘Working at the Heart of Change’. Mark Gawlinski,** CiC’s change specialist, who also recently worked on Greg Dyke’s ‘Making It Happen’ programme at the BBC, will host workshops on how to best work with change-related issues in the workplace.

“I hope that we will be able to share the expertise of all the participants in working with organisational change,” says Mark Gawlinski. “In my experience, there are many different ways of looking at change, and each has its own merits – and its own problems.”

Mark Gawlinski

CiC was founded in 1988 and works with leading companies both in the UK and overseas to optimise staff support, training and performance. CiC’s critical incident and trauma teams have provided support both on a national and international scale in situations such as the 7/7 bombings and the Paddington Rail crash. CiC was the first Employee Assistance Programme provider to be audited against the professional standards of the Employee Assistance Programmes Association. CiC currently offers programmes to over 250,000 individuals throughout the public, private and voluntary sectors, with a range of services including Employee Assistance Programmes, Learning & Development programmes, Change Consulting, Coaching, Crisis Management and Critical Incident Support.***

The seminar will comprise of two sections and will address theoretical as well as practical aspects of change. Specially formulated sessions will allow attendees to experience different approaches to change. Participants will be encouraged to take time to understand their own culture and organisation, and to identify how positive changes can be introduced to the workplace.


Notes to Editor:

* Kate Nowlan, CiC’s Chief Executive, has worked as a corporate psychologist and psychotherapist for the past twenty years and has in-depth experience of working with senior executives from major banking and multinational companies as well as the public sector. She has lead management due diligence and evaluation projects with Ernst & Young and has acted as a senior consultant in the NHS to Primary Care Trusts.
She is on the Advisory Board of Darteurope (part of Dart US, founded to address issues around trauma for journalists worldwide) and has a particular interest in supporting those who have been exposed to cumulative traumatic experiences in the course of their working lives. She has delivered workshops and seminars to a diverse range of organisations (e.g. Amnesty International/leading international law firms/the construction industry/ Metropolitan Police) on working with trauma, and the advisability of preparing staff for overseas assignments. She has been involved in hands-on trauma support in Ireland, South Africa and the Middle East and in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings in London. She has led trauma conferences and training programmes in Cape Town with psychiatrists, doctors and HR professionals looking at the psychological impact of critical incidents on organizations, and recently co-chaired a full day workshop with Dart for African journalists and their response to trauma. Kate is currently acting as trauma consultant to the TV series ‘Spooks’.

** Mark Gawlinski, CiC’s Change Consultant, has worked with a wide range of companies, both in the public and private sectors, including the BBC, the London Development Agency, The Mind Gym, Pfizer, Cable & Wireless Communications, BT and ITN.


*** CIC’s Core Services:

CiC provide telephone support, management support, face to face counselling, traumatic incident counselling, specialist support services, training and executive coaching and management information. The group specialises in the following services:

Crisis Management – CiC offer a complete Crisis Management and Critical Incident Cover package available 24/7. CiC’s Critical Incident Support staff and specialist trauma team are highly trained and have experience of providing support both to groups and on a one-to-one support basis across a range of situations, including the London 7/7 bombings, the ’04 Madrid train bombings, the Paddington rail crash, armed bank raids, bomb threats/evacuations and sudden deaths in the workplace.

Business Continuity & Critical Incident Support has to be a fundamental part of strategic planning for any forward thinking company nowadays. CiC also address Risk Management in the fields of Business Continuity, Company Risk Reviews, Security and International Travel Advice, and Critical Incident Cover.

EAP – The Employee Assistance Programme is CiC’s most highly demanded service. It focuses on organisational performance and enhanced productivity. Employees benefit from a 24 hour confidential helpline, available 365 days of the year, that offers support for every area of both their personal and professional life.

Management support and face to face counselling are provided as well as specialist support services such as Financial, Legal and child / family care, retirement, and redundancy issues.

Learning & Development – CiC’s comprehensive training programmes add value to businesses across the spectrum. The specialised training department has diverse front lein industry knowledge and experience which allows them to provide considerable depth of advice and training to fit the commercial requirements of any business. CiC use a range of specifically developed learning tools to train people in wide variety of business & management skills. Courses include: General Skills, Business Development, Leadership Skills, Business Continuity, HR Services and Coaching.