FEATURE
Putting mental health first
Andrew Safo Poku, HR Director at Samsic UK, examines how the company’s innovative approach to mental health is delivering significant benefits across the business.
So often invisible until it’s too late, poor mental health can take many forms – and its effects can be both significant and long term.
All companies have a duty of care to their employees and Samsic is no different. Happy staff are engaged and will do the best job they can for company, colleagues and clients. Mental health issues may emanate from many sources outside work, and it’s not simply enough to reduce work-related stress if mental health challenges are to be effectively addressed within a business. Meanwhile, the stigma around mental health issues means many individuals may feel unable to speak up.
For us, the situation was particularly challenging as many of our colleagues work alone and have little contact with colleagues. Some also come from cultures where mental health issues aren’t recognised or taken as seriously, so may feel even more wary about speaking up.
We wanted – and needed – to do more. The requirement for a more strategic and structured approach was thrown into sharper focus by the COVID-19 pandemic, with colleagues either furloughed or suddenly forced to work from home, missing out on the rewarding interactions and support network that office environments can bring.
Assessing our needs
In early 2021 we decided to issue a detailed questionnaire to all our colleagues to assess their mental health and wellbeing. The findings were significant, highlighting many areas where we could do more.
As a provider of frontline services, some of our people were risking their health daily in order to ensure the safety of others. Apart from those furloughed or working from home, others were shielding. Our research enabled us to identify a range of support needs.
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Our first action was to appoint a dedicated Mental Health Champion, whose first task was to research the help available to our employees. While some support was on offer, it was aimed primarily at those experiencing milder forms of stress. It also wasn’t available in every location and language, and even where it was on offer, there were long waiting lists.
These support gaps highlighted the requirement for a companywide mental health strategy to transcend the limitations of public services. The strategy would need to support everyone with a potential need, signposting them to the most appropriate specialist support agencies.
A nationwide, people-focused approach
Clearly it wouldn’t be possible for our mental health champion to do this alone, so we recruited a team of volunteer Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs). The first MHFAs took part in an expert-led training programme with ongoing support, ensuring their own mental health needs are met before they attend to those of colleagues. The programme equips them to identify, engage with, signpost and support a range of issues and needs.
We now have 12 MHFAs across the UK, tasked with supporting colleagues facing mental health issues of any kind. Their role is to identify an individual’s needs before referring them to specialist agencies, while being a supportive guide throughout their journey. The team’s work ensures a rapid first response to mental suffering, paired with ongoing support for as long as needed. Referrals are made in a variety of ways, which are communicated clearly for employees to see.
To ensure continued learning and support optimisation, the team also meets monthly to present a new mental health topic, followed by a discussion on how to understand and respond to it in the real world. This approach brings the
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