The Rainy Day Trust has joined forces with the Mental Health Foundation to produce a guide aimed at helping recognise and support mental health issues in the workplace.
Called ‘How to support Mental Health at Work’ the 44-page guide, which the Rainy Day Trust is making available to industry businesses free-of-charge, outlines how to recognise mental health issues in the workplace, whether you or colleagues, and shows ways of building a strategy towards good mental health.
The introduction highlights just what an impact poor mental health and wellbeing can have on business, noting: “The value added to the economy by people who are at work and have or have had mental health problems is as high as £225 billion per year, which represents 12.1% of the UK’s total GDP.”
It continues: “It’s vital that we protect that value by addressing mental health at work for those with existing issues, for those at risk, and for the workforce as a whole. A toxic work environment can be corrosive to our mental health. We believe in workplaces where everyone can thrive. We also believe in the role of employers, employees and businesses in creating thriving communities.
“Good mental health at work and good management go hand in hand and there is strong evidence that workplaces with high levels of mental wellbeing are more productive. Addressing wellbeing at work increases productivity by as much as 12%.”
The guide goes on to say that, once you have read it, you should:
Have an idea of how to manage your own mental health at work
Have an idea of how to reach out to a colleague in distress
Have an idea how you can work with others to make your workplace more mentally healthy for everyone
Bryan Clover, CEO at the Rainy Day Trust, is urging all businesses in the home improvement industry to look more closely at mental health issues in their workplaces. He said: “It isn’t always obvious and there is still very much a stigma attached to it, where people don’t want to discuss it. This guide gives good practical advice and information on how to bring it into the open and build a strategy of support for those staff who need it.
“Everyone will benefit, not only in terms of their mental health and happiness but also as a business from a financial point of view as highlighted above. It really is a win win!”
To order your digital copy of the Mental Health at Work guide, email bryan@rainydaytrust.org.uk
To contact the Charity for support, call 0800 915 4627 or get in touch via the RDT website www.rainydaytrust.org.uk/contact-us/
For potential fundraising partnerships, please contact Bryan directly via bryan@rainydaytrust.org.uk or call 07939 541289
