LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD – MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS DAY

£30 billion is lost by employers in the UK each year as a result of mental health problems - but why isn’t more being done about this?
The statistics highlight the importance of speaking out about mental health illnesses within the workplace.
So how can employers do this?
Here at Voice Communications there are many systems in place which allow our (pardon the pun) voices to be heard.
Monthly Mentoring
Monthly mentoring is one of the best support systems you can give to your employees. Whether it is a chat over a coffee or in a private office – give your team a chance to chat with you. At Voice, each team member chooses who they would like a monthly mentoring session with and decides where they would like it. This gives each employee the chance to open up about how they are feeling in a different environment to work. Its important your employees feel valued.
Coaching
We are lucky to have an amazing business coach, Julie Clements. Each month, every employee is entitled to a 2 hour coaching session with Julie. Whether issues are work-related or personal, it allows you to speak your mind. Coaching sessions are great for employees as it means speaking to someone externally to the business, which some people will find extremely beneficial.
Julie comments: “I’m often asked if stress is normal and of course it is. Everyday we encounter physical stresses and we take them in our stride and will rest our bodies. However, we need the chance to rest and heal our minds too, like we would our bodies, we can then hopefully stay out of those high levels of stress.”
Julie continues: “Resting the mind is all about taking moments of calm, moments of silence, where we actively focus on taking time out and calming down. Meditation is also a great way to relax the mind and there are many YouTube clips that can help to guide you through this. For employers, in helping employees overcome mental health issues in the workplace, it is about providing them with new thinking techniques and new emotional management processes and of course seeking professional help if necessary. It’s important for individuals to take the pressure off themselves and to seek help, don’t try to manage stress alone.”
A happy workplace is paramount to creating productive and engaged teams. Whether its 5 or 10 minutes, take the time today to speak with your employees and take a step towards combatting mental health issues.