World Mental Health Day 2024

10th October 2024 marks World Mental Health Day and this year’s theme is “It’s Time to Prioritise Mental Health in the Workplace”. 

Having worked in the HR team at Avant Homes for over 9 years, I have seen first-hand how our organisation has needed to adapt and respond to the increased demands on employers to support the mental health and wellbeing of employees. This also comes with changing expectations from employees, who have become more open to sharing issues with their mental health and in turn have sought assistance and understanding from us, as their employer. 

It is only when a company culture is supportive, accepting and encourages openness, that employees feel able to seek help when they need it. 

When employees experience mental health issues, these impact their own wellbeing, their life outside of work and often, their performance at work. This can be a double-edged sword, where an employee can try and suppress how they feel and ‘battle on’ for fear of facing into the fact they are not well. When mental health issues are not addressed, these can lead to increases in absenteeism, attrition and reduced productivity. 

Thankfully, over the last few years, the profile of mental health has been raised significantly, with positive strides towards removing the stereotypes and stigma associated with mental health. In turn, reaching out for support has become more accepted and it is crucial employers play their part in creating a safe and supportive working environment for their employees. 

Within Avant Homes, we take our responsibilities seriously and consciously choose to place importance on mental health in the workplace, because we believe it is the right thing to do.  

I am reassured that our focus on mental health, has enabled us to assist a number of employees over the last few years, to varying degrees. The help we have given, in whatever guise, has led to many employees making a full recovery, doing so in the knowledge that they had our full support.   

In the event any of our employees find themselves facing issues with their mental health and wellbeing, we want them to know where to turn, whether this be support we can offer from within our organisation, or whether we need to redirect an employee to seek professional advice.  There are of course limitations to the level of support we can provide, and this can present its own challenges.  Through training, knowledge and understanding, we are a responsible employer, seeking to navigate through each situation on its own merits, with care and consideration. 

In terms of what we do at Avant, we have several measures in place, accessible to all our employees. 

Having had Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA’s) in place for several years, we proactively monitor to ensure we always have enough to cover the geography of our business.  We also place importance on having some of our site-based employees fulfil this key role, given we recognise our industry is susceptible to mental health issues.  The names of our MHFA’s, are shown on posters in our kitchens, breakout areas, toilets and on our intranet site, making the information easy to access. 

The HR team are all MHFA’s, as sometimes employees naturally gravitate towards HR for initial support or a confidential chat, and managers rightly look to us to have knowledge in this space. Our HR team also work with employees and their line managers, joining welfare review meetings, arranging occupational health assessments, and discussing workplace adjustments for example. 

We also have a dedicated mailbox, so in the event and an employee feels more comfortable sending an email request, they can do so confidentially, and we will arrange for someone to speak with them. 

We signpost and share external support services, for example Mind, Samaritans, Mates in Mind and utilise key dates in the mental health calendar to raise awareness. 

As many employers do, we have an Employee Assistance Programme. Available to employees on a confidential basis, this service provides employees with the means to discuss mental health and wellbeing issues, and access free counselling where necessary.  

Finally, we provide employees with access to a reward platform, which offers health and wellbeing perks such as discounted gym membership and free health and wellbeing resources, as we believe it is important for our employees to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing, and this platform is a way in which we encourage this. 

Looking further ahead, we want our focus on mental health and wellbeing to evolve further, knowing there is no place for complacency. We are looking at providing training for managers, so they are better equipped to recognise the signs of any mental health issues within their teams and act accordingly.  

In summary, we know obligations on employers are continuous, and it is important that we don’t ever become complacent or simply think we are doing enough. At Avant, our commitment to our employee’s reflects this. 

- Kathryn Galtress, Group HR Director