In the UK, more than half of work-related illnesses are down to poor mental health, with 51% of long-term sick leave accounted for by stress, depression or anxiety. In 2023, 64% of managers reported they had considered quitting for a job that would better support their wellbeing. The main barriers to supporting staff wellbeing were reported as heavy workload, an unsupportive workplace culture and a lack of equipment and training. A third of managers feel out of their depth when supporting a team member with mental health concerns.
It’s clear that poor mental health is costly, not just financially but to team morale and wellbeing. The best way to improve mental health within a team is to be proactive. Investing in mental health training and development is the best way to reduce rates of absences due to poor mental health and increase employee engagement, satisfaction and happiness. This also fosters a positive and open workplace culture; one which enables staff to seek help as and when they need it and enables managers to be confident and successful in supporting their team.
Here at NetWatch, we have invested considerably in our mental health infrastructure over the past few years. We have two fully trained and accredited Mental Health First Aiders, and all our line managers have received comprehensive mental health training as well. We also utilize the employee wellbeing app Pirkx, which has a number of features to support positive mental health. There is a 24/7 confidential counselling service, access to out-of-hours GP appointments, and a wealth of quality mental health content created by experts, which covers grief, stress, sleep and nutrition, as well as many other topics.
We also pride ourselves on being a social and flexible workplace. We offer staff the ability to work from home and manage their own hours using flexi-time, so they can schedule their day according to their needs and working preferences. We also have several social activities at NetWatch, from Football Club to Book Club, and we arrange regular social outings to help our team feel connected. Our latest outing was a Games Club visit to Chance and Counters here in Birmingham:
By equipping our managers with the tools to support their colleagues and providing easy access to supportive tools like Pirkx, we are taking the first steps necessary to manage mental health in the workplace. In doing so, we hope that we can break down the stigma surrounding these discussions and aid our team in developing into confident and happy individuals, with a passion for their work.
Each year we’ll also be marking Mental Health Awareness Week with a plethora of activities. This year, our HR Officer Dani Osbourne put together a week of activities including a group walk, fitness sessions, a healthy breakfast bar and a fun quiz, centered around the 2024 theme of Movement. Throughout the week we also highlighted our existing mental health resources, as well as any new resources we have cultivated. Our awareness week was very popular with staff and we’re looking forward to the next one in 2025! You can see some great photos from this event here.
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