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Wellbeing – our employees and students

We’re giving employees and students the support they need to grow and succeed. To do their best work, discover their passions and be their best selves.

Wellbeing – our employees and students

Everyone is unique. Everyone is important. And everyone belongs in a community where they’re safe, respected and included. At Unite, we strive to make that happen whether you stay with us or work with us.

We’re giving employees and students the support they need to grow and  succeed. To do their best work, discover their passions and be their best selves.

NEW

Our 24/7 Student Wellbeing Helpline

We’ve partnered with Health Assured to offer our residents access to a confidential student wellbeing helpline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It follows our 2023 Applicant Index, revealing support students need.

Students are able to ask for an interpreter on the call, available in over 240 languages and the service can be used to support a friend or ask for advice to help a friend.

What we know about this years cohort of residents

37%

of applicants said financial issues affect their mental health

50%

of all applicants said they were anxious they wouldn't fit in

30%

of applicants have been absent from school because of mental health

Unite Students - Students Talking

Support to stay – our new framework to support students

Support to Stay is a consistent approach designed to work in collaboration with a university’s support model. It supports timely, appropriate interventions when a student’s health or wellbeing causes concern as illustrated in the framework which is focused on a gradual escalation of concern and risk in the three levels.

resident ambassador

Resident ambassadors – for an authentic ResLife experience

In 2021, we relaunched our Resident Ambassador programme for students to earn the Real Living Wage, develop leadership skills and shape the community within their building – with experience they can put on their CV when they leave university.

Culture Matters - Unite Students employee forum

In 2021 we launched our employee Culture Matters forum

The Culture Matters forum provides two-way communication between the leadership team and the wider business. It’s where employees and the business share opinions and ideas, support decision-making and take action to contribute to the success of the business.

A commitment to doing what’s right is part of who we are

Positive Impact

We work hard to reduce our environmental impact, support the wellbeing of our student customers, and promote access to higher education through the Unite Foundation. Our Sustainability Strategy builds on this by incorporating challenging and ambitious targets.

This is our 8th year running Positive Impact alongside the NUS, our bespoke version of the United Nations award-winning programme ‘Green Impact’ to support sustainable behaviour change. Unite Students is the only purpose-built student accommodation provider to sign up to the programme and we have established this to maximise engagement across all areas of our sustainability remit, building on the original environment focus of the scheme.

Still from our Birmingham Canal Clean video
Unite Students - Vegetable Patch

Support to Stay: Improving our student support framework
Over the last year, Unite Students has trialled Support to Stay – an innovative student support framework designed to align with university processes. Here, we delve into what Support to Stay is, what came out of the trial phase, and what it means for the full Support to Stay roll-out in the 2023/24 academic year.
7 things we know about this year’s university applicants
Delving into university applicants’ attitudes, needs and confidence in comparison to last year’s cohort, Unite Students’ 2023 Applicant Index is now available to download. From sustainability and finances to wellbeing and independence, here are some of the key takeaways from this year’s report.
Supporting Black students at university: A parents’ guide
One of the starkest findings from the Living Black at University report was the mental health challenge faced by Black students in UK student accommodation. Guest contributor Melissa Browne, Deputy Director of Commercial Services and Estates at University of Kent and Vice Chair of CUBO (College and University Business Officers), has seen the impact first-hand in her family – now, she shares her advice for parents of Black students on how to support them during their university experience.
In conversation with: Luke Brooker helps support wellbeing on our development sites
In conversation with Luke Brooker, Head of Delivery at Unite Students. He spoke to us about his role, mental health, wellbeing initiatives onsite and overcoming practical challenges to deliver these.