Ita Waller, HR Director at UNLIMITED on deciding to train all agency staff to be Mental Health Champions and why that holds even more importance during the ongoing pandemic.
2020 will be a year scratched into all our memories. It was a year that fundamentally challenged long-established certainties about what we think is safe and what we believe is healthy in all areas of our lives.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought so many changes and challenges to our working lives that were all but impossible to foresee at the start of 2020. It changed the world of work and therefore changed how we look after our mental and physical health.
The pandemic brought with it an emotional upheaval for many individuals who previously perceived the world to be a safe and predictable place and unfortunately, people who had experienced mental health conditions such as anxiety disorders and depression in the past found that these feelings were amplified.
According to mental health charity Mind.org, COVID-19 has created a ‘second pandemic’ of mental health conditions and that’s why we decided to train all staff to be certified Mental Health Champions. It’s so they can be equipped to help colleagues with mental health issues by recognising signs they might be struggling and also have skills and tools to deal with their own mental health.
By normalising conversations about mental health in the workplace, we can connect on better levels with each other and inclusive cultures can thrive.
Ita Waller
Since our health is the most important commodity we have, the question is why wouldn’t we do everything in our power to help the lifeblood of our business? The lifeblood of our business is our PEOPLE.
Conversations about mental health in the workplace are still not normal day-to-day exchanges and the point of the training is to ensure everyone is comfortable with sharing their thoughts and feelings, so they feel supported. Not only does the training encourage others to do the same but talking about our problems and verbalising our negative feelings has been a source of psychological relief for centuries.
Ultimately, we believe in workplaces where everyone can thrive and the role of colleagues and employers to create thriving communities. As a business, our proposition is based around Human Understanding so there needs to be necessary care to ensure all employees’ mental and physical wellbeing is looked after.
The aim of the training is to empowering staff to take care of themselves and to help employees have better days at work. We are calling it My Mind Matters and it’s one of many initiatives we have to ensure everyone’s mental health and wellbeing remains a top priority, particularly during these times.
It’s a skill everyone will have for the rest of their lives and at UNLIMITED we believe it’s a business responsibility to look after employees not just while they work for you but also when you leave.
The training equips everyone with practical tools to intervene if colleagues are showing, often complex, signs they might be struggling. Tools include action plans, resources to help change behavioural patterns and progress check-ins.
It covers many other modules including self-care, stress awareness, common signs for mental health problems, anxiety &, depression, supporting others, gambling, addiction and people in crisis. New analysis by The Royal College of Psychiatrists has shown that addiction levels are at their highest since 2015 and over 8.4 million people are now drinking at higher risk, up from just 4.8 million in February. So, if you needed more of a reason to train staff to be Mental Health Champions, there you go!
As far as I am aware, I haven’t seen anyone in our industry train all staff to be accredited Mental Health Champions so my wish for this year is that others follow suit.
By normalising conversations about mental health in the workplace, we can connect on better levels with each other and inclusive cultures can thrive. Because we must not lose sight of the fact that everyone belongs.
It’s the only way you can be ‘future fit’. Mental health training helps employees recognise signs of mental distress in themselves and others. This helps to not only handle larger crises, but also to intervene before the distress becomes an emergency. By taking preventative action it’s the only way your business can thrive for the future.
Because mental and physical health are linked. Taking care of mental health can also help us combat or prevent health problems that can be linked to chronic physical illness. In some cases, it can even prevent the onset or relapse of a physical or mental illness. For example, managing stress levels can have a positive impact on heart disease.
Break the stigma. As the stigma around mental health diminishes, but is not eradicated, we all have a responsibility to take mental health seriously and further break the stigma.
UNLIMITED is a fully integrated agency group with Human Understanding at the heart. Our four, award-winning divisions; marketing, communications, insight & analytics and digital, drive our creativity and define our solutions. Our mission is to create genuine business advantage for clients, and we do this by uncovering behaviour-led insights from our Human Understanding Lab.
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