Mental Health Awareness Week & Our Commitment to Our Team
At Unity Mutual, we’re committed to helping our team through any mental health challenges they may be facing.
This week (13-19 May) is Mental Health Awareness Week and to mark the event, we’ve put together an article which details exactly what we do to ensure our staff feel supported. Here, Abi Jones, our Head of Marketing, explains how she underwent vital mental health first aid training in order to be able to look out for anyone who may be facing a challenging time. Read on…
‘Creating a Culture of Openness’
There’s plenty of guidance, via the Mental Health Foundation, when it comes to looking after your own mental health. Sometimes, though, our team members need a helping hand – and that’s where our mental health first aiders come in.
There is a wealth of reasons why we’ve trained some of our staff to become better at spotting mental health issues and helping people navigate them. One of the key reasons is this: early intervention can help hugely, with our mental health first aiders being able to identify signs of distress or mental health issues early on.
“This allows for timely intervention and support”, says Abi, who adds that ‘reduced stigma’ is another reason Unity Mutual deemed it necessary to offer such support. “Having mental health first aiders creates a culture of openness and support around mental health, reducing the stigma associated with seeking help.” she says.
When you consider that, according to the Mind charity, ‘half of UK adults believe there is a great deal of shame associated with mental health conditions’, it’s easy to see why some people fail to speak up about their symptoms.
Providing a Supportive Environment for Everyone
Mental health first aiders are on hand to enhance employee wellbeing, though, providing a supportive environment for everyone and contributing to the way people feel. In doing so, mental health first aiders can also boost an individual’s job satisfaction.
By investing in mental health, our first aiders can help reduce absenteeism and the impact of untreated mental health issues on productivity too.
Why did Abi opt to become a mental health first aider? She says it was an extremely easy decision.
“I wanted to be able to support my colleagues and create a more inclusive and compassionate workplace environment.”
The training has equipped Abi with the ‘valuable skills and knowledge to recognise, respond to, and support individuals experiencing mental health challenges. More than that, though, she has ‘developed a deeper understanding of mental health issues and the importance of destigmatising conversations around mental health.’
A Sense of Responsibility to Promote Mental Health Awareness
“Serving as a mental health first aider has allowed me to grow personally and professionally by fostering empathy, active listening, and effective communication skills.” she adds, “As a mental health first aider, I feel a sense of responsibility to promote mental health awareness and advocate for supportive workplace practices.”
The training helped Abi on a personal level, too. “It made me look at myself and recognise times when I might have been struggling without really recognising it.”
The training has been so successful that Abi isn’t the only one who’s become a mental health first aider; other colleagues have followed suit, with more staff keen to get involved.
Unity Mutual is committed to the health and wellbeing of its staff and customers. Alongside vital mental health training for our team, we also work hard to provide the right guidance for people who entrust us with their savings. Read our article on autism and managing money, for example, which can be found on the Knowledge Hub of our site.
We’ve also put together a piece designed to help customers with dementia, as well as an article to help anyone who’s worried about potentially falling victim to a financial scam.
Until next time…
