I hope you’re all keeping safe and well, and that you’re having a good week so far. A few weeks ago, in my Wellbeing Wednesday email, Andy Hall discussed the topic of men’s mental health – something which he has a very personal connection with.
This week I’m really proud to announce that we have gone one step further to support all colleagues with their mental health and wellbeing by signing the Time to Change Employer Pledge. By signing the pledge, we’re showing our commitment to breaking the stigma and supporting you with whatever problems are affecting your mental wellbeing.
The Time to Change Employer Pledge is something which initially came onto our radar 18 months ago, but due to various factors at the time, it wasn’t something we were able to progress with. However, given the impact of Covid-19 on our mental health, and the challenging times that we’re all having to work through, we felt it was important to revisit the pledge and let you know how we’re continuing our ongoing work to break to stigma and encourage honest conversations.
What is the Time to Change Employer Pledge?
The Time to Change Employer Pledge is a commitment from us to you, to show that we are working to create a more open and understanding culture around mental health problems in the workplace.
Despite the progress we’ve made, we know that many people still don’t consider mental health relevant to them. They don’t believe mental health problems are likely to affect them or people they know. But the reality is that just like physical health, we all have mental health and there are steps we can take to support good mental health and prevent mental health problems from escalating.
Statistically, 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem in any given year. That’s why our commitment to the Time to Change Pledge is so important. No one should have to fear being treated differently because of a mental health problem.
To be able to sign the pledge, we had to put together an action plan, outlining ways in which we will work towards normalising conversations around mental health, supporting you and driving positive changes in terms of breaking stigmas. We’ll be sharing more on our action plan over the coming months, however in the meantime we need you to help kickstart those difficult discussions and start making mental health a normal topic of conversation amongst colleagues.
Sign up to be a mental health champion
We’re looking for colleagues across the Group to sign up to be mental health champions in the workplace.
As a mental health champion, your role will be to help your fellow colleagues change the way they think and act about mental health. It’ll be your job to normalise conversations around mental health, so your colleagues can tell you that they’re struggling with their mental health just as easily as they’d tell you about their plans for the weekend.
You’ll play a key part in raising awareness of mental ill-health in the workplace. How you do this is entirely up to you, but you could set up a webinar to discuss your own experiences of mental health, organise a virtual event, write a blog or host a quiz or game that gets your colleagues opening up about their struggles.
What you’ll gain from being a mental health champion
Not only will you be part of a powerful movement, you’ll also benefit from the following by being a mental health champion:
- Being part of a professional network of like-minded individuals
- Gaining an increased understanding of mental health
- Developing new skills outside of your day-to-day role
- Increased confidence from speaking about issues that you’re passionate about
- Something impactful to add to your CV
- Being in a position to also support friends and family
How to sign up
If you’d like to become a mental health champion, please get in touch with Cheryl Madden who will provide you with further information about the responsibilities of being a mental health champion.
I hope many of you will be interested in signing up and helping us to break the stigma around mental health in the workplace.
Take care.