Let’s face it, the last two years have been an emotional rollercoaster – from lockdowns to Brexit, to rising energy bills, and now war in Ukraine – the news has been a heavy one to digest. Add to that any personal struggles you might be facing and it’s easy to see why we are battling a mental health epidemic never seen before.
As a business that deeply cares about it’s employees, we knew we needed to take action. That’s why, over the past year, we’ve worked closely with Mental Health First Aid England to train and develop our very own team of Mental Health First Aiders.
Why we took action?
Within the Dee Set Group we understand that life gets on top of us sometimes – it might be work-related, it might be more personal. No matter what our staff are going through, we recognised the need to invest in training, in order to bring together a specialist team that is here to listen without stigma or judgement, when you need a good talk.
We found ourselves concerned that statistics from last year showed that over 800,000 workers are suffering from work related stress, depression or anxiety, far higher than before the pandemic – so it was essential we addressed this issue within our own Dee Set family.
What we did?
Whilst we pride ourselves on always hiring friendly team members who look out for their colleagues, we needed more in-depth, specialist training to ensure we were offering the best support we could if someone was having a tough time.
We reached out to Mental Health First Aid England, who developed and launched the MHFA (Mental Health First Aiders) programme to allow employers to help their work force cope with low points and down days, that stop us all from living life to the fullest.
By working closely with the MHFA instructors, the Dee Set Group have trained 16 Mental Health First Aiders, who have already helped over 200 colleagues across the business. The Mental Health First Aiders are always on hand to support staff members that may find themselves feeling out of sorts.
What our trained Mental Health First Aiders can help with:
- Noticing the signs your mental health might be low
- Encouraging you to talk about problems, they are all valid and we won’t judge
- Help you build a plan to manage your mental health and get you feeling back to your best again
Reaching out to the MHFA team or stopping in for a regular chat about worries, no matter how small or insignificant you think they might be, is a great way to prevent the little stuff building up into bigger issues.
I’m really proud to be part of the MHFA team helping to reduce the stigma surrounding anyone living with or experiencing a mental illness. In such challenging times we want you all to know there is support here for you and how you can access it.
Jeni O’Shaughnessy, Operations and Outsourced Fulfilment & Mental Health First Aider
