The Business Exchange Bath & Somerset Issue 18: Winter 2020 | Page 7

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A new support programme is offering West of England employers help to respond to mental health concerns in the workplace , particularly those arising from Covid-19 .

The West of England Combined Authority ( WECA ) is investing in the two-year Thrive at Work West of England programme , which aims to address the key mental health issues that businesses say are affecting their employees and impacting productivity .

The package of support , including training resources , is available through WECA ’ s West of England Growth Hub website . It includes mental health e-learning to equip managers with the confidence and skills to have supportive conversations with their staff about mental health and wellbeing , particularly in these challenging and changing times .

The training is funded by WECA and will be targeted towards SMEs and ethnic minority-led companies to help support those who may have been impacted the most by Covid-19 .

West of England Mayor , Tim Bowles , said , “ Mental health and wellbeing can have a huge impact on individuals , employers , and the wider economy . Following the coronavirus outbreak , I ’ ve listened to businesses to find out what help they need and I ’ m supporting them in their recovery . “ Thrive at Work West of England is the latest in a package of measures I ’ ve announced to help support our region ’ s economy and people ’ s jobs following the pandemic . It will help businesses across the West of England to support the mental health and wellbeing of their employees and respond to the impacts of coronavirus on mental health .

“ Our businesses and workers need help and support from a trusted source during these difficult times . Therefore it ’ s reassuring that the e-learning content has been written by Mind , a leading authority on mental health .”

Mental health is an issue that can have a huge impact upon individuals , their employers and the wider economy . Research carried out across the UK in August found that :

• 39 per cent of people said their wellbeing was being affected by the pandemic – through stress , anxiety , boredom and loneliness ; of these , 9 per cent reported that they were worried about a possible job loss and 9 per cent said they were worried about returning to work

• 47 per cent of workers said their work was affected by the pandemic ( including furlough , changes in working hours and remote working )

• 22 per cent reported that the coronavirus ( Covid-19 ) outbreak was affecting their household finances , and amongst this group reduced income was most commonly reported ( 66 per cent )

• 25 per cent expected their financial position to get worse over the next 12 months

SOURCE : ONS Opinions & Lifestyle Survey ( 26th-30th Aug 2020 )

Thrive at Work West of England is a collaboration between WECA ; Bristol , Bath & North East Somerset , North Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils ; the mental health charity Mind ; businesses and organisations in the Thriving at Work regional network ; and the unions . It builds on Thrive programmes in Bristol and South Gloucestershire and is aligned to the Thrive network across the UK .

Emma Mamo , Head of Workplace Wellbeing at Mind , said , “ Open and supportive workplaces benefit everyone and the bottom line is about creating a culture where staff feel able to talk about mental health . It is now more important than ever that staff are listened to and know that they are valued .”

The Thrive at Work West of England programme offers :

• Guidance for business leaders to adopt the Mental Health at Work Commitment and implement Mental Health At Work Core Standards .

• Support to create wellness action plans using templates developed by Mind

• Free suicide prevention training

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• Toolkits and resources shared by employers including local businesses involved in Thrive Bristol

• Peer support from businesses to help smaller companies learn from others ’ experience of what works to improve mental health and wellbeing in the workplace

Thrive at Work and other packages of support can be accessed through WECA ’ s regional Growth Hub support offer which has been expanded to help businesses through Covid-19 .

For more info : www . wearegrowth . co . uk

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