employers can support their teams’ mental health and wellbeing: • Creating a safe environment and workplace culture that encourages people to bring their ‘whole self’ to work and puts people at ease. • Encouraging open communication about mental health both in an open environment and between line managers and their team members, who should have regular wellbeing check-ins. This can help to reduce the stigma that may exist around discussing this openly. • Mental Health training, for example the Mental Health First Aider courses that are available – and which I personally have found to be extremely valuable and can educate individuals on how to spot signs of and support those experiencing poor mental health. • Providing access to support, for example via employee benefit programmes, such as Help@Hand which gives access to counselling and mental health support. • Developing company policies that are supportive of those who may be experiencing poor mental health, but also policies that will positively impact upon the mental health of your team. • It could be as simple as providing useful resources that promote and educate on mental health matters, or taking part in activities that raise awareness, for example ‘My Whole Self Day’ which I have spoken about in a previous article. So, back to getting more active... I think we all know that regular physical activity can make us happier and healthier, but in reality, finding the time can be quite difficult. By building movement into our working day, we can have a positive impact on productivity and focus. I have seen some great examples of this popping up on my LinkedIn recently, for example I know our Senior Relationship Manager Sarah has been for dog walks with other account managers helping to get some fresh air, I’ve seen some of our firms encouraging their BDMs to come for a walk with them after lunch and to catch up then, I’ve even seen some people going for runs! If you don’t get much ‘free’ time, then building it into your working 17 SUMMER MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER day is a great idea to help get you get your steps in! Encouraging employees to engage in physical activities, whether it’s a midday walk or a company-wide activity, can lead to better mental health outcomes. Indeed, by fostering a culture that values movement, you can expect to see three key benefits such as: • Reduced absenteeism • Enhanced productivity • Improved morale As we reflect on Mental Health Awareness Week 2024, it’s clear that movement and physical activity are not just personal health goals but are also imperative for the health of your team and arguably your business. If you haven’t already listened, we did a short podcast episode on this episode with Aimie Jo Shutt from Santander, that looks at this topic in greater detail. If you’ve not had chance to listen yet, please click here to listen. Finally it would be remiss of me to not mention the Walk & Talk 2024 that Jason Berry and Jonathan White from the ‘Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter’ undertook during Mental Health Awareness Week, raising money for UK charities who specifically support Mental Health and Wellbeing by walking 125 miles from Tamworth to Canary Wharf, a truly amazing achievement. Bob Hunt, our CEO, and Richard Howes, our Director of Mortgages, were delighted to take part in day one of the walk. They’ve raised over £6,000 so far which is a fantastic achievement; here is the page if you’d like to consider donating. If you have any questions, issues or would just like to speak to someone, please do get in touch. I am conscious that many people have their own mental health experiences, and some like to keep those very private whereas others are keen to share their experience. If you need someone to talk to about anything that is upsetting you, you can contact trained professionals at Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call 116 123 (free from any phone) or email [email protected].
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