There is growing attention being paid to the importance of mental health across many areas of life, and it’s about time. Mental health issues are more common than you might think; the repertoire is wide, doesn’t discriminate and the repercussions can be far reaching.
We spend a huge amount of our time at work. As a business whose greatest asset is our people, prioritising mental health issues is vital to us, as is promoting and championing positive mental health. Statistically, workplaces that take this approach and really support people with mental ill health are more likely to reduce absenteeism, increase productivity and benefit from the associated economic gains. Simply put; healthy, well, happy staff are more productive staff.
We strive to be a healthy workplace, where management and staff actively contribute to our working environment by promoting and protecting the health, safety and well-being of all employees. We haven’t tried to reinvent the wheel; we have learned from the motivations of other organisations who get it right and we’ve made sure we understand the needs of the people who work here so we can develop better policies and practices for workplace health. Our benefits package is designed around that ethos, from offering flexible working and actively promoting taking time out of the business on a regular basis, to private health cover with a focus on mental health therapies.
We have qualified Mental Health First Aiders in place across all our offices, trained to recognise signs and symptoms of mental health issues, facilitate conversations that can be difficult, signpost people to the right professional help for them, and offer effective, constructive and truly meaningful ongoing support to people suffering with mental health problems. We know it’s working- these first aiders have been able to use their new skillsets to help their colleagues. Mental health is not something we are struggling to talk about here; it’s really encouraged, and that comes from an awareness across the business of the workplace environment and how it can be adapted to promote better mental health for all employees.
With stigma dissolved, difficult conversations made easier and knowledge of what to do and where to go when experiencing a mental health problem, we as an employer can create an inclusive, supportive culture where all staff better take care of themselves and the people around them. That’s a complete win!
