Mates in Mind is encouraged by the level of engagement driven by the debate last week in the House of Commons for increased mental health awareness at work, led by Luciana Berger MP, Johnny Mercer MP and Norman Lamb MP.
Mates in Mind has released a statement saying it believes: “More must be done to achieve a fundamental change to workplace mental wellbeing, as the impact that mental ill-health poses UK workplaces is both incredibly widespread and complex”.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 2017/18 there were 15.4 million working days lost as a result of work-related stress anxiety or depression, up from 12.5 million in the previous year. This equates to 57.3 per cent of the 26.8 million work days lost to ill health.
The charity now seeks to act upon the important items added to the political agenda during last week’s debate, appealing to leaders across UK’s industries to take note of the growing evidence of need, and also the means by which to take action. This includes the standards recommended by the Stevenson/Farmer review of mental health and employers published in October 2017.
The report identified six core standards that could apply to all workplaces regardless of size:
1. Produce, implement and communicate a mental health at work plan
2. Develop mental health awareness among employees
3. Encourage open conversations about mental health and the support available when employees are struggling
4. Provide your employees with good working conditions
5. Promote effective people management
6. Routinely monitor employee mental health and wellbeing.
Using such measures, as detailed within the ‘Thriving at Work’ report, and working in collaboration with industry partners, Mates in Mind has developed its own mental health programme which embodies the principle that there is no health without mental health. It aims to offer its support to industry leaders to develop a positive mental wellbeing environment and drive a meaningful shift in workforce cultures across the UK.
In response to the debate, James Rudoni, Managing Director of Mates at Mind, said: “At Mates in Mind, we believe in a long-lasting transformation of workplace mental health, through which organisations can go beyond tackling a crisis of mental ill-health and act to prevent it in the first instance.
About Mates in Mind
Mates in Mind was the result of a Health in Construction Leadership Group summit in early 2017 for construction industry CEOs and senior leaders who voted overwhelmingly to improve the mental wellbeing of its workforce. At an event in January 2017, Mates in Mind was launched and the pilot phase was started. Mates in Mind was featured in the Thriving at Work report published in October 2017.
To find out more about the work of Mates in Mind visit www.matesinmind.org
Content Team
Work in Mind is a content platform designed to give a voice to thinkers, businesses, journalists and regulatory bodies in the field of healthy buildings.
