Lucy Pilliner, Business Manager at Katherine Harriet Ltd Looking at Mental Health at Work.
We have seen Mental Health in all different forms and during Covid it has become more apparent than ever.
A study by Happiness Works in March 2017 showed that nearly a third of UK employees suffered from stress at work. While all jobs have their ups and downs, many workers take this in their stride – but if left unchecked it can manifest into something deeper.
Just like physical health, nobody is immune to a period of (or indeed an ongoing battle with) poor mental health. Long working hours, unrealistic workload expectations and poor relationships with colleagues can all play their part in creating or deepening issues with anxiety, stress, depression and self-esteem, no matter how high up the career ladder you might be.
While even the best managers in the world may not be able to cure everybody’s problems, a sympathetic and open approach is key to ensuring that we are doing all we can to support our staff and, helping them to feel valued, productive, and well-balanced.
At Katherine Harriet we have ensured that we have an open door for staff to be able to support anyone suffering with Mental Health to come forward, talk and be open about how they feel and how it affects them in work and how can we as a company help them move forward stay engaged and feel at ease at work rather that it be a struggle or a burden
Its not easy putting on a happy face when you feel so sad and alone inside.
Along with everyday struggles of Mental Health we are now approaching the lead up to Christmas
Most of us will already be looking forward to Christmas and New Year’s, but the end of year also brings with it autumn and winter. For some, these seasons brings with them challenges that go way beyond trying to stay warm when going outside!
It is important that we are aware of the issues that may be affecting our employees’ physical and mental wellbeing as the days get colder and darker.
Research found that 35% of individuals experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is a type of depression that’s exacerbated by winter
The winter blues are, indeed, a very real phenomenon which negatively affects the mood of 51% of workers.
Winter also brings with it an influx of colds and flu and trying to work through these will only make matters worse in the long run. Working with the vulnerable we ensure that staff are well as we would not want to put at risk our clients. On the positive we have noticed that colds are not as high as they were and feel this is positive side to wearing face masks.
Here at Katherine Harriet always ensure that our staff are looked after and have the essentials to stay warm and provide coats or fleeces to ensure they stay warm, we also ensure that torches are provided for those dark evenings and most of all that we are here and available to talk to.
We also ensuring our office team have training in all areas to help have the confidence to support our team of Well Being Assistants.
Jodie Bristow, Staff Liaison Officer has recently completed her Mental Health First Aid Course. This is a great achievement and will be a great asset in supporting the wellbeing team as our Mental Health First Aider.
