Feb 2021

There’s no health without mental health – Part 1

Author: Toni Chadwick

Whether we like it or not, the workplace environment can influence our mental wellbeing. Statistics by mentalhealth.org.uk show that 1 in 6.8 people experience mental health problems in the workplace – what they’re going through can have a huge impact on their quality of life, and how well they perform in their job. When we talk about mental health (which should be more often), it means we’re talking about our emotions, our thoughts, and feelings, not necessarily mental illnesses. Mental health, or lack of, ties into everything we do, and for many of us, it’s linked to whether we feel stressed, down, or overwhelmed. Poor mental health is a player in how we overcome difficulties and connect with others, as well as our outlook on life and how we solve problems.

If we’re not taking care of our mental health the same as our physical health, then it’s not a very good outlook, is it? It’s like the World Health Organization says, “There is no health without mental health.”

Everyone should feel happy at work, and a positive company culture and strong employer brand can be the start of making that happen. These strategies can’t get rid of any problems that stem from outside work, but they can play a starring role in supporting your people. As part of your approach, you need to tackle the stigma that surrounds mental health and invest in your team. Offering support can save UK businesses up to £8 billion per year, and it goes without saying that preventing mental ill-health at work is a win-win for everyone; imagine fewer absence days and a workforce that knows you’re in their corner!

Promoting wellbeing at work doesn’t have to break the bank; for around £80 per year, you could offer intervention via personalised information and advice, risk-assessment questionnaires, workshops, and web-based materials. This initial investment of £40,000, for a company with say 500 employees, will result in a net return of £347,722 in savings. How does it work? By reducing both presenteeism and absenteeism.

Putting our people first

We’ve got six pillars propping up DNA and it should be no surprise that People is the first. Looking after our people is paramount; MHFA England shares that 69% of UK line managers say that supporting employee wellbeing is a core skill, but only 13% have received mental health training. 35% of line managers want basic training in common mental health conditions, so what’s the hold up? Even though we’re all apart at the moment, the good news is, we can still talk.

So that’s what the leadership team at DNA did in January. They talked about how we’re all doing, what we could all be doing better and how to recognise and deal with a situation if one of the team isn’t feeling so good. We already check in with our team every day, but when we saw those stats and heard about My White Dog’s Mental Health First Aid training, we jumped at the chance to learn from Paula.

Paula Power and her team have trained over 200 local business leaders and staff in mental health first aid awareness. In partnership with MHFA England, these courses help businesses become healthier workplaces. We always want to be better for our people, so Kerrie, Chris, Rick, Tiv, and Fi got involved so they could learn more about common mental health issues, what to do to maintain their own wellbeing, and most importantly, how to have the confidence to support other DNAers who may be struggling or experiencing a mental health issue.

Even though 1 in 5 people take a day off due to stress, 90% of them don’t give the real reason for their absence. We don’t want that stigma to have any part of DNA. That's not all - head to part two of the blog to find out what we learned from Paula, and what that this new knowledge and toolkit means for our team moving forward.