Pelicans’ Line Managers trained to be mental health first aiders

CULTURE

PELICAN'S LINE MANAGERS TRAINED TO BE MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AIDERS

Focus on emotional and mental wellbeing

As a company we have always taken the mental and physical wellbeing of our team very seriously. We already had a dedicated team of Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) to assist colleagues with any difficulties they may face in their professional and personal lives.

But as the COVID-19 pandemic hit back in March 2020, the Pelican team, like so many others have been working remotely from home. Despite the perceived benefits including improved work life balance, being at home all the time can present more challenges to our mental health and wellbeing, both personally and professionally.

Francesca Fowler, Human Resources Business Partner and Wellbeing Champion at Pelican: “Managing and supporting the team in a virtual working world is very different, so to help line managers build their capability and understanding specifically around mental health and the wellbeing of their team members, we have provided them with the opportunity to part take in the two-day mental health first aider course provided by Mental Health First Aid England.

Adjusting to the new virtual working climate, Mental Health First Aid England have redesigned the classroom course to suit a virtual audience. This training was run and delivered by Kate Minor.

We decided to make use of the new format, so our managers undertook the course in four bitesize virtual modules during November. This set up worked very well as our managers could juggle the course and work commitments in a more balanced way.“

How did the Pelican team benefit?

Franco Scannella, Managing Director at Pelican: “Investing in our people’s development to improve the emotional and mental wellbeing of all our employees, is at heart of our culture. I believe that the MHFA course will give Pelican’s line managers, including myself, the tools and skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues and feel more confident in supporting colleagues.”

Harriet Medlicott, e-Procurement Training Team Leader: “As part of the People Managers team I was invited to take part in the Mental Health First Aider Training Course. I now have a much clearer understanding of not only what mental health is, and the factors that can affect wellbeing, but also what steps can be taken to provide better support.”

Jeff Watts, e-Procurement Operations Manager: “With remote working becoming the norm almost overnight, the MHFA course came at just the right time! Before the course I had already put in place new ways of staying together and keeping in touch with my team, such as a daily video call. This has been a great way of making sure everyone in the team is OK and in a good place mentally. The MHFA course has really helped me to understand more what to look out for, and ways of how to support each other through challenging work or personal situations. The key is that everybody is unique, so there is no one approach.”

For more information on MHFA England go to https://mhfaengland.org