5 MINUTES READING TIME
Look after our people & they will look after our customers
16th– 22nd May is Mental Health Awareness Week. This year’s focus is on relationships. Our workplaces are crippled by the knock on effects of poor mental health. In fact, The Mental Health Foundation has calculated that ‘70 million [UK] work days are lost [yearly] due to mental health problems. The cost to employers is estimated at ‘£2.4 billion per year’.
The financial effects of mental health issues are a fraction of the story: individuals with poor mental health are likely to have issues with sleeping and balancing work and life commitments. Poor mental health has also been linked to poverty and addiction. At FGH Security our staff are our focus; we recognise the benefits of a happy and healthy workforce and fundraise annually for The Movember Foundation which supports men’s mental and physical health.
We believe that a healthy heart equals a healthy mind and that by encouraging a healthy lifestyle and a culture of openness regarding stress and anxiety, we can promote positive mental health, show support for our colleagues who may be struggling and deal with mental health concerns before they become too much. This May FGH is supporting Mental Health Awareness Week and asking our staff and clients to be mental health savvy and make the time to keep an eye on the people around them.
The Mental Health Foundation are asking us to look at the quality of our relationships and acknowledge their importance to our health and wellbeing. We are being encouraged to look at time we put into our relationships and ask ourselves, can we do more for the people in our lives?
FGH is looking to do more for our people and have compiled a checklist of things to look out for if you’re are worried about someone you work with but can’t quite pinpoint what may be wrong:
- Anxiety/ worry: continual worries can indicate that someone is struggling to cope. Physical signs of anxiety can include heart palpitations, a shortness of breath, headaches and restlessness.
- Depression can be difficult to recognise. Signs of depression can include a lack of motivation, a loss of interest in things previously enjoyed and feelings of guilt or worthless.
- If you know someone who’s more irritable or withdrawn than normal, shown quick changes in temper, this also can indicate poor mental health
- Sleep problems. A person constantly complaining of tiredness or struggling sleeping could have underlying issues with mental wellbeing
- Weight or appetite changes. Yo-yoing weight and rapid weight change can be signs of mental illness and connected issues including depression, eating disorders, or even alcohol and substance abuse.
If you suspect someone may be struggling with mental health concerns they need help. There is a stigma attached to poor mental health but talking is the first step to getting healthy, talking can also help address any professional help that may be needed. There are many organisations trained to help with mental health issues, including The Samaratains and MIND but at FGH we have trained our management team to be mindful of mental health. If you are feeling out of your depth, or worry a FGH colleague may be struggling, we encourage you to speak a member of our management team. All concerns will be treated sensitively and confidentially. We need to work together, look after each other and keep talking to promote a healthy and happy workforce and kick poor mental health out to touch.
