Mind’s The Mental Health at Work gateway, funded by The Royal Foundation and shaped by charity Heads Together, is a web portal designed to help managers support struggling staff.
The new site, which was unveiled by Prince William yesterday, will provide an online gateway to resources, training and information regarding workplace wellbeing and mental health support.
The campaign was launched following a study by Mind which revealed that 48% of people had experienced a mental health problem at work. It also found that better support for staff was a priority for employers, however a third did not know where to find the resources they needed to get started.
SMEs
“The gateway is a step towards creating mental health literate workplaces by providing employers with access to the training and tools they need to encourage dialogue around mental health, creating an open culture within their business,” said Poppy Jaman OBE, CEO of City Mental Health Alliance. “The new website is a great resource designed with a focus on small and medium enterprises. Employers have a vital role in creating working environments that support positive mental health outcomes. Supportive workplaces really can help employees to thrive in their roles and their personal lives.
“The City Mental Health Alliance is committed to providing practical tools and guides for our members which include 24 City firms, employing over 250,000 people across the UK. The Mental Health Gateway will contribute to mentally healthy workplaces in the City as we work to eradicate the stigma of talking about mental health.”
Open conversations
“Talking about mental health is the key to ensuring people feel they are able to reach out and get the support they need,” said Vanessa Sallows, Benefits and Governance Director at Legal & General Group Protection. “This is particularly true in the workplace where there has long been a negative connotation associated with discussing mental health.”
Research from L&G’s ‘Not A Red Card’ campaign last year found that nearly 80% of employers believed staff would be comfortable discussing mental health issues at work, yet only 4% of employees who have suffered from depression and 5% of those who have been affected by anxiety said they would speak to a manager about it. “It’s not surprising that 12.5 million working days in 2016/2017 were lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety,” added Sallows.
“Clearly, more needs to be done to address this issue and reinforce the importance of employers focusing time and resource on the mental health needs of their staff. The Mental Health at Work gateway is a fantastic step towards achieving this and creating supportive work environments where businesses can better understand and manage mental health in the workplace, ultimately leading to thriving workforces.”
The Mental Health at Work gateway can be accessed here.
As published in Cover on 12th September 2018