Over the course of July, we have been providing all of our employees with information on Mental Health Awareness and Stress. This forms part of our commitment to achieving the Bronze Award through the Healthy Working Lives Programme.
We began by issuing an E-Learning course to all employees which provided an introduction to the topic and facts about the number of people affected. This was then followed up with interactive seminars in our Head Office which were delivered by Audrey Hall and Margaret Toal of Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership who are specialists in this field.
The seminars, which were delivered to 55 employees, discussed the definition of mental health along with the associated problems whilst highlighting that mental health is something which affects everyone and is not necessarily negative. Employees were reminded that events affect people in different ways and that this can trigger different emotions.
The interactive activities got participants thinking about the factors which impact upon our mental health, how you can identify when someone may need help along with the stigma surrounding Mental Health and the impact this can have upon individuals. You can find out more about the Mental Health and the associated discrimination on See Me Scotland which is a programme to tackle the stigma attached to this illness.
Our management team will follow this up with ‘Mental Health Workplace’ training which will educate them on how to support employees suffering from mental health problems.
