Lewis CaliburnDistributor Exertis has announced it has trained more colleagues to become Mental Health First Aiders, bringing the total number of accredited colleagues to 31 across its UK businesses.
The colleagues have received fully accredited Mental Health First Aid training from Exertis’s charity partner, Mental Health UK. The announcement coincides with World Wellbeing Week, which Exertis is marking through a week-long programme of activities, resources and initiatives to enable its people to feel connected to one another and to the business, and to prioritise their wellbeing.
The Mental Health First Aiders’ role is to promote greater awareness of mental health in the workplace, recognise and proactively reach out to colleagues when they spot signs and symptoms of anyone needing support, apply non-judgemental listening skills to understand a colleague seeking support, and encourage colleagues to seek appropriate professional help if they require it.
“The wellbeing of our employees is hugely important to us,” says Tim Griffin, CEO of Exertis IT. “To support this, we want to continue to create a working environment where our people feel able to talk honestly and openly about their mental health. We believe that every one of us deserves to bring our whole selves to work and we are here to support our people to be able to do that.”
“We are pleased to be able to invest in our colleagues and our business to further support our efforts to create an open and inclusive work environment for our people,” adds Jo Lawrence, People Director.
“As part of our ongoing focus on supporting our colleagues’ wellbeing and belonging, we’re thrilled to be bringing more Mental Health resources on board, and to provide that safe space for those who need to talk to someone.”
This year alone Exertis has already marked other mental health-related occasions such as ‘Time to Talk Day’, ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’, ‘National Inclusion Week’ and ‘Stress Awareness Month’, providing its people with both resources and opportunities to connect with others – with the aim of ending the stigma of discussing mental health and supporting those who require help.
Exertis also launched an emergency fund this year, with the goal of supporting colleagues during exceptional times of significant personal financial hardship. The new Employee Support Scheme enables colleagues to make a confidential application to help with things such as vital payments.
Support offered may include a payment gift or access to alternative support such as technology or additional time out, and the business aims to help colleagues in a timely and sensitive manner.
As well as Mental Health First Aider support, Exertis offers a range of wellbeing options. This includes an Employee Assistance Programme, a wellbeing portal, healthcare, confidential 24/7 telephone support with qualified counsellors, up to six face-to-face counselling sessions, access to financial, legal and health support, health risk assessments, cognitive behavioural therapy and webinars.