The new, free training is aimed at organisations of less than 250 people to promote wellbeing in the workplace and is available online at the Mental Health at Work website
Mental Health for Small Workplaces will build staff confidence in thinking and talking about mental health. It includes three quick training modules consisting of: building your awareness, tips to look after yourself and tips to support colleagues. Each module takes 20 minutes to complete and there is also a guide alongside to help employers roll out the training successfully in their organisations.
The training has been funded by The Royal Foundation and workplaces can access it through the Mental Health at Work website, which is an initiative from Heads Together and Mind, launched by The Duke of Cambridge in September 2018.
Faye McGuinness, Head of Workplace Wellbeing Programmes at Mind, said: “Poor mental health is now the number one reason for staff absence. Mind’s major study into workplace wellbeing has revealed that poor mental health at work is widespread, with half (48%) of all people surveyed saying they have experienced a mental health problem in their current job.
“For small workplaces employees are the most valuable asset. We are beginning to see employers prioritise the mental health of their staff, but we have some way to go. Not only is looking after staff the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense, resulting in increased productivity, morale and retention.
“From talking to small business owners we know that it can sometimes be difficult to find the time or resources to invest in mental health in the workplace. That’s why we have made it easier, with online training ideal for employees of smaller organisations”
Alison Stainthorpe, Head of Operations at CancerCare was one of the organisations to test the Mental Health for Small Workplaces modules, she said: “Mental Health for Small Workplaces is well structured, informative and easy to access and navigate through. Each topic covered can be completed independently and includes a range of facts, short informative videos, as well as links to valuable resources and support. I especially liked the relaxation topic in the second module and will definitely be trying some of the techniques suggested! This will be a great resource for our staff to access.”
Andy Neilson, Owner of Twisted Orange, also fed into to the development of the modules, he said: “Mental health support is absolutely vital in and out of the workplace. We all need some insight and structure to how we can help each other and, just as importantly, help ourselves. If you follow the guidelines contained within this material, it will do nothing other than benefit you: as an employer, employee or most importantly just you as a person. We all need help at times – we just have to be open to receiving it and accepting the need for it. This gives you exactly what you need.”
Mental Health for Small Workplaces has been developed by Mind with support from organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses, the Institute of Directors and The Lord Mayors Appeal.
A major study into workplace wellbeing by the mental health charity Mind has revealed that poor mental health at work is widespread, with half (48%) of all people surveyed saying they have experienced a mental health problem in their current job.
The survey of more than 43,000* employees revealed that only half of those who had experienced poor mental health had talked to their employer about it, suggesting that as many as one in four UK workers is struggling in silence.
Mind’s research also found that roughly 3 in 5 said their mental health was good or very good (58%), while 13% of respondents said that their mental health was currently poor or very poor. Of those who said their mental health was poor, 82% said that this was work-related – either due solely to problems at work, or a combination of problems at work and outside of work.
To access the free training modules visit: www.mentalhealthatwork.org.uk/smallworkplaces
*Research reference: Mind (2017/2018) 43,892 staff from across the 74 organisations taking part in Mind’s Workplace Wellbeing Index shared their views and experiences through staff surveys
As published in Open Access Government on 17th April 2019