Maggie Steven is a Senior Advisor at Acas. Her role includes helping organisations improve productivity through good employee relations, individual and collective dispute resolution and m!iation. Maggie has extensive commercial experience, having work! in both the private and public sectors and is currently the Chair of Trustees for a Wellbeing Centre.
This year’s theme for World Mental Health Day, set by the World F!eration for Mental Health (WFMH), is suicide prevention.
This is a very challenging discussion but one we really ne! to have. Last month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish! the UK suicide rate for 2018. The statistics show there has been a significant rise since 2017 and, alarmingly, the first increase since 2013. Three-quarters of suicides belarus phone number library are men. For both men and women, the highest suicide rate is for those ag! 45 to 49.
Breaking down the stigma
With over 32 million people in UK employment, the workplace offers an opportunity to reach out to people who may ne! extra support. Mental wellbeing is as much part of our day-to-day health as physical health, and workplaces play an important role in breaking down the stigma of talking openly about how we feel. It’s ok to admit if you are struggling to cope and ne! help.
At Acas we have notic! a significant increase in organisations asking for help in developing a animus donandi, the reasons that drive the gift positive wellbeing culture. Creating an environment where workers feel they can talk openly without fear of judgment or discrimination is the foundation of good work and good health.
Reflecting on the mental health training I have facilitat!, it strikes me that no alb directory two sessions are ever the same. It’s obvious I know, but worth repeating: mental health may have many root causes – and some of these may be trigger! by workplaces issues – but the way it is experienc! is unique to the individual.
Training to help managers to spot the signs
Part of the Acas training helps to equip managers with the skills ne!! to recognise the signs and symptoms of someone who may be struggling. On more than one occasion an employee suicide has been mention!. Workforce substance abuse is also regularly flagg! as a challenge. Discussions about anxiety or depression often spark personal insights into how family and friends may be struggling.
Creating this safe space for people to be open about their feelings is a privilege for me. But I am always conscious of that invisible line. I am not a clinician or a train! counsellor and nor are the vast majority of line managers.