Why should we care about mental health? Section Title Why should we care about mental health? Signing the Time to Change Pledge

Mental health is an issue our organisation cannot afford to ignore 1 in 6 workers experience stress, low mood or poor mental health Mental ill-health is the leading cause of sickness absence in the UK, costing an average of £1,035 per employee per year 95% of employees calling in sick with stress gave a different reason 42% have considered resigning due to workplace stress

Why take action? Why take action? It makes business sense to ensure our employees are as mentally healthy and, as a result productive, as possible. Encouraging our employees to talk about mental health can make a real difference to: sickness absence rates presenteeism productivity wellbeing FTSE 100 companies that prioritise employee engagement and wellbeing outperform the rest of the FTSE 100 by an average of 10%. Presenteeism: working while sick can cause productivity loss, poor health, exhaustion and workplace epidemics.

Suggestion: statistics specific to your organisation You could add some statistics specific to your organisation. For example, you could talk about the cost to your organisation using this tool: https://www.happinessatworksurvey.com/business-case

Time to Change England’s largest and most ambitious programme to change public attitudes about mental health. They aim to empower people to challenge stigma and speak openly about their own mental health experiences, as well as changing the attitudes and behaviours towards those of us with mental health problems.

There is still a long way to go… But there is still a long way to – particularly within the workplace where these attitudes still show some alarming statistics, and also with men where attitudes are shifting much more slowly.

Time to Change Employer Pledge

Over 450 employers have signed the Pledge 100+ Mental Health Trusts & PCTS 16 Central Government departments

Time to Change Employer Pledge The Time to Change Employer Pledge is a straightforward, free way to demonstrate our commitment to our employees’ mental health, and to creating an environment where can they be open about it.

Action plan: seven key principles   Demonstrate senior level buy-in Demonstrate accountability and recruit Employee Champions   Ask staff to share personal experiences of mental health problems  Update and implement policies to address mental health problems in the workplace   Raise awareness about mental health Time to Change’s expert team will work with us to develop an action plan to help us create a simple strategy to get our employees talking about mental health. This could include small actions such as running events for World Mental Health Day, to larger ones such as training line managers so they feel comfortable having conversations about mental health with their line reports.   Once our action plan action has been finalised, they will send us a pledge board for a senior member of staff to sign it in front of as many employees as possible.   Equip line managers to have conversations about mental health   Provide information about mental health and signpost to support services

Employee Champions Individuals who are passionate about challenging stigma and discrimination around mental health in the workplace Internally drive change Create a grassroots movement Help support action plan activities Commit to normalising conversations about mental health The work will not rely solely on our HR team. One of the key principles of our action plan is to recruit employee champions. These are people who are passionate about challenging stigma and discrimination in the workplace. They drive forward change by tackling mental health stigma and run initiatives to improve wellbeing amongst their fellow employees. The Time to Change team have have a dedicated Champions Officer who will support them.

Employer Accelerator Programme For no charge Time to Change will provide us with: Coaching on our action plan from a dedicated member of their expert team Connections to employers who have implemented initiatives similar to those we are planning Invitations to a series of masterclasses where we can learn from leading employers on how they have achieved success Invitations to workshops on how to effectively raise awareness about mental health within our organisation A set of online resources to help us easily deliver activity in our workplace Once you have signed the pledge they will invite us to their Employer Accelerator Programme

As a result of signing the Pledge: 95% said it had a positive impact on their organisation Eight in ten agree that awareness of mental health issues has been raised Half reported a rise in staff disclosure of mental health problems since the Pledge was signed 75% of Employee Champions feel that the Pledge has had a positive impact on their organisation

What other organisations have done Add some examples of what similar organisations have done here. You can use http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/pledgewall/organisations as inspiration Or use the below slide as an example

E.ON As a result E.ON developed Head Way, an all inclusive programme with the clear objectives of reducing the stigma of mental health within the workplace; reducing the risk of work-related mental health issues; providing mental health awareness training to line managers and staff; and providing support to those experiencing mental health problems. One of the major elements of Head Way was roadshows to reach staff across all sites. A common old garden shed was transformed into a ‘Head Shed’, erected within communal areas of E.ONs’ offices. The Shed provided an area of focus to the campaign where individuals could meet socially, learn, and discuss all issues relating to mental health. Inside the Shed were promotional materials and a graffiti wall, where staff could leave anonymous tips and comments relating to mental health issues. The roadshows also used meditation and stress-busting activities to encourage staff to look after their mental wellbeing, accompanied by a Head Way Handbook – a useful guide to managing stress at work and at home. In addition a freely accessible intranet site open to staff and contractors was developed. The site promoted good mental health and stress management. The site also contained tools for managers and colleagues to assist them in assessing risk, facilitating conversation, and managing mental health issues at work. The Head Way initative has proven to be a great success – both in terms of staff wellbeing and the productivity of the organisation as a whole. Since its launch over 2500 employees have directly participated, with more events planned. Most strikingly, the number of new cases of mental health absence within E.ON has reduced by over one quarter since launch of the programme. E.ON also reported that productivity had increased following access to the Head Way programme. Since then have introduced a special EAP line for line managers and specific training for line managers on mental health and having a big conversation – in those departments seen absence rates drop by an absence of 6 days.

What we could do Add your suggestions here such as running events for key dates such as Time to Talk Day and World Mental Health Day, provide information about mental health, share personal experiences of mental health problems through blogs on the intranet, etc

Any questions? Any questions?

For more information see www. time-to- change. org For more information see www.time-to- change.org.uk/employerpledge Email: employers@time-to-change.org.uk Contact: 02082152247