Guest article

Mental Health Education Initiative

Education and understanding of workplace mental health has never been more important. The subject is currently on the national agenda and as we emerge from a global pandemic we are seeing organisations respond to the call for more investment and education around mental health and how we can support our staff. Firstly, it is important to understand that everybody has Mental Health and if everybody has it, there is the potential for a need for an intervention or at the very least, the ability to recognise signs of mental ill health within the workplace and this will need to be embedded into the very fabric of your organisation. As a business you also have legal obligations under the Health and Safety at Work – Act 1974 and the Equality Act 2010 to make sure that you are provisioning for people’s mental health especially if it is deemed as a disability. “Everyone is somewhere on the mental health spectrum, so this is a business productivity issue which should be dealt with alongside other health and safety considerations. Creating a positive environment for mental health demonstrably costs less than failing to do so.” Nigel Carrington, University of the Arts London – Thriving at work. The Stevenson and Farmer review of mental health and employers report undertaken under the May government. So, we know how important the knowledge surrounding Mental Health is but let us start with a couple of statistics when it comes to Mental Health in the workplace. • Only 24 per cent of managers have received some form of training on mental health at work • Mental health problems cost UK businesses £34.9 billion a year – from sickness absence, reduced productivity at work and staff turnover

• 15 per cent of people had even suffered disciplinary actions as a result of disclosing information on their mental health • Only 1 in 10 SMEs offer occupational health support compared to 8 in 10 large organisations, they are less likely to have mental health policies in place. Statistics can show a moment in time and although these numbers are staggering, we do not need to feel paralysed by them. It will help to think about the situation step by step.

So, what can you do?

• Produce, implement, and communicate a mental health at work strategy that sits side by side your health and Safety Policy • Adopt a working team that is able to put serious effort into the actions required to develop a robust wellbeing program in the business • Develop mental health awareness and educational program which takes into consideration levels of engagement and outcomes • Monitor and engage with internal communications to make sure that there is visibility of actions across the board • Encourage open conversations about mental health and support available when you or employees are struggling • Provide your employees with good working conditions • Routinely monitor employee mental health and wellbeing. As you can see there is a lot of work that needs to be done so that this does not become a ‘lip service’ piece, rather a fundamental underpinning of the culture of your organisation with the wellbeing of staff at its core.

Mental Health First Aid Training

Every organisation that has five or more members of staff are required by law to have a physical first aid provision. This is a really good idea because ultimately if something were to happen to a member of staff it means that there is somebody there with a modicum of knowledge that would be able to help. Physical First aid is recognised and understood in every workspace, but Mental Health is relatively new even through it has been around in the UK since 2007. The concept behind MHFA training is that people are taught about mental health, how to recognise signs of mental ill health as well as how and where to signpost. They are also trained to be able to recognise signs of mental distress and how to deal with a crisis should this take place in the workplace. Although they are not therapists or councillors, the skills that they learn can provide a level of reassurance that one’ mental health is taken seriously in the organisation. Training is delivered over half, one or two days depending on level of learning and is available face to face and online. All of our trainers are approved MHFA Instructor Members and bring with them extensive experience in this field.

How can the Chamber help you with your Mental Health in the Workplace Goals?

The Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce has teamed up with local Social Enterprise organisation ABC Life Support, a specialist first aid training company based in St Neots, to offer the members the opportunity to access this vital information, training, and support for your organisation in the following ways. • Discover Mental Health Webinars • Dedicated training • Access to training online • Strategic support for businesses.

FREE MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID WEBINAR

Thursday 30 September, 1.00-2.00pm

MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID – ONE-DAY COURSE

Tuesday 12 October, 9.00am-5.00pm

Register for both events from the event page on the Chamber website www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk/events