Making a Difference

'It is vitally important that we work in partnership across sectors and disciplines to improve the health and well-being of our working-age population and I think partnership-building has been central to the success of MINDFUL EMPLOYER over the last 5 years. I would like to congratulate everyone who has contributed to MINDFUL EMPLOYER in that time and I look forward to seeing the campaign continue to evolve.'
Dame Carol Black, National Director for Health and Work

Last October saw the fifth anniversary of the launch of MINDFUL EMPLOYER. Initially set up as a local initiative with Exeter-based employers, little did we realise on 15 October 2004 just how popular and widespread it would become!

We marked this occasion by gathering and publishing comments on our website about the value of the initiative and/or the difference MINDFUL EMPLOYER is making/has made for employers, workplaces and people experiencing mental ill health.

If you would like to make a contribution, please contact us. Depending on space and the number of contributions we receive, we may or may not be able to use all you write in full. If you would not like your name, title and organisation shown against the published text then please let us know.

This is what people say about the difference being made by MINDFUL EMPLOYER:

MINDFUL EMPLOYER commitment has raised awareness of mental health issues with staff at ACER.  We are only a small company, but signed up for the Charter to promote wellbeing amongst our employees. We have now extended this further and encouraged our member further education colleges in the Eastern region to sign up. 5 have already made the commitment and many others are planning to join. It has been a very useful experience for us and I’m sure MINDFUL EMPLOYER will grow from strength to strength in years to come. 

Debbie Dear, Deputy Chief Executive, ACER (Association of Colleges in Eastern Region)

We employ more than 150 staff and provide a range of services to over 550 people. As a mental health organisation we signed up to the MINDFUL EMPLOYER Charter in August 2007, and have just been through our first review. We have found the standards in the Charter fit very well with our aims and values. We have used the Charter as a toolkit to check our employment practices and to help us promote good mental health at work. Some of the changes we have made since signing up to the Charter are:

• Including positive statements in all our recruitment literature about encouraging applicants with lived experience.
• Introducing a new post “Peer Support Assistant” which promotes recovery based on lived experience.
• Implemented an Employee Assistance Programme for all employees and their families.
• Trained our HR department in Mental Health First Aid
• Trained all interviewers in mental health awareness and the Disability Discrimination Act.
• Increased the amount of reasonable adjustments made, and improved our expertise in this.

On a practical level the Charter aims have certainly helped us drive forward some real improvements. The resources available via MINDFUL EMPLOYER such as the SHIFT Line Managers Resource have also been really useful in supporting us to continue to increase awareness about mental health at work.    

Gill Pickford, Head of Quality Services, Second Step

I have found MINDFUL EMPLOYER Principles an excellent document to stimulate further ideas on more sensitive pro-active absence management.  

Clive Bonny, Strategic Management Partners

Over the past 5 years we have seen an unprecedented number of organisations across the nation open their minds on the issue of mental health in the workplace, something that affects 1 in 4 people in society at some point in their lives and is therefore currently being experienced by up to 25% of your workforce. Are you being a MINDFUL EMPLOYER to seek out creative ways that can help you sustain the health and productivity of your workforce? Some of your competitors/organisations in your sector are.                              

Darran Armitage, Associate Director HR & OD, Devon Partnership NHS Trust

From an employer’s perspective, I have had extremely positive feedback from my employees. My employees have stated that they feel that they can be open and honest, in the workplace, about themselves. I have been told that they feel empowered and that their self-esteem is greater. My employees have stated that they do not feel any fear or worry about their employment as I, the employer, has shown that I do not have any prejudice towards my employees and that I am showing I have the high moral standards. I have noticed that my employees have lost any apprehension in expressing their views and openly discuss how individual actions impact on them, there is less animosity between the staff and I wonder why I had not heard about MINDFUL EMPLOYER at the outset.                                                                  

Adam Lotun, Director, Workplace Disability Adjustments

The MINDFUL EMPLOYER Charter has helped us gain the recognition we deserve for the work and support we give to all employees with regards to mental wellbeing.  We take this very seriously and are proud of our achievements thus far.  It also helps us to link with other like-minded organisations and share ideas and issues.

Rebecca Hawking, HR Development Manager, Enterprising Opportunities CIC

Fresh Pastures CIC has been working with MINDFUL EMPLOYER for over 2 years and it has broadened our understanding on the difficulties that some people experience when looking for employment.  As a Social Enterprise, we pride ourselves in helping people who have suffered from mental health issues, to find employment and gain skills, where possible.
Being part of MINDFUL EMPLOYER has helped us to understand that unfortunately some people are discriminated against because of an illness which is often in the past and these people are trying to move on with their lives, but are rarely given a chance from employers.  We work with all of our employees who have suffered some difficulties and help them to gain confidence by being back in a working environment, whilst also gaining skills and qualifications as we ensure all our employees gain a minimum of NVQ Level 2, again working at their own pace to gain this qualification.  We also allow our employees to ease themselves back into the workplace at a pace they feel comfortable at.
Being able to use the MINDFUL EMPLOYER Logo has helped us immensely in our quest to grow our workforce, and has also helped us to become a multi-award winning company.

 Sharyn Morley, Director, Fresh Pastures CIC

The MINDFUL EMPLOYER initiative has enabled us to have a greater focus on mental health issues within the organisation, and in particular identify clearer management actions needed to promote good mental health, and given managers greater confidence to address these issues.

Alistair Macintosh, Executive Director, Exeter Community Initiatives

We have all fundamentally agreed that the organization can only benefit in working towards this accreditation. The process of achieving MINDFUL EMPLOYER status at Horton Housing Association (HHA) will no doubt raise awareness of mental health issues in the workplace and identify levels of stress that do need to be addressed. The initiative will allow (hopefully) employees to be more 'comfortable' and 'open' about talking about mental health issues. The performance of employees should increase as in times of high stress the organization will support the individual employee and provide a channel of constructive help and be solution-focused in its approach.
HHA's approach to recruiting disabled employees will also raise the profile of helping certain individuals back into work that are often marginalized by society. The support base and encouragement within HHA will make employees feel more understood and supported under MINDFUL EMPLOYER.

Paul E. Gartland, Service Director, Horton Housing Association

Since joining the MINDFUL EMPLOYER partnership staff have benefited from being given the opportunity to consider the effects of mental health issues, which has been useful in JET's environment as a whole.  Both staff and clients have benefited from the positive attitudes this has generated.

Julie Fernyhough, Manager, JET (Jobs Education & Training)

Being a member of MINDFUL EMPLOYER has helped remind me to promote mental health and wellbeing to the companies I meet simply though mentioning your initiative. As a result spreading the word has become easier, and a topic that can sometimes be seen as a sensitive one is now easier to talk about, thanks to your groundbreaking initiative. 

Karen Kimberley, Communication Coach and Hypnotherapist, Karen Kimberley Ltd

As a recent signatory to the MINDFUL EMPLOYER initiative, I feel that this has helped the Trust to think pro-actively about the way in which it supports staff with mental health problems.  It has also enabled us to discuss this sensitive area of work at a wide range of Trust meetings and to publicise it widely through the Trust newspaper and other media.  We still have significant work to do in progressing our commitment, but feel that signing up to MINDFUL EMPLOYER has helped to raise this issue further up our agenda.                   

Denise Langley, Assistant Director of Human Resources, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Oaklands Community Care believes passionately in the initiative and standards MINDFUL EMPLOYER is trying to raise. It helps to high light standards and bench marks for both new recruits and current employees alike that all employers should follow. Our managers and staff are proud that the displaying of the MINDFUL EMPLOYER logo gives new recruits some confidence that allowances will be made both within working practices as well as our recruiting procedures. Our commitment to the MINDFUL EMPLOYER initiative was embodied within our method statement which gave our commitment to open a new service with 50% of the staff base that were employed to be service users. Here is to next five years and raising standards even higher.

Henryk E Stojak, Operations Director, Oaklands Community Care

Richmond Fellowship is delighted be able to display the MINDFUL EMPLOYER Logo. It provides a clear message both to employees and to those who are seeking work that we have a positive and enabling attitude - that we are actively engaging with the MINDFUL EMPLOYER principles.  Those principles fully reflect Richmond Fellowship's recovery and social inclusion values.  For people with mental health problems to achieve social inclusion, we know through 50 years as a mental heath service provider how critical it is it is that a growing number of employers embrace these principles.

Stuart Riggall, Director of Central Services, Richmond Fellowship

Scarborough & North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust became a MINDFUL EMPLOYER late December 2007 as the Trust prides itself on being an equal opportunities employer and includes staff with mental health issues and wanted to participate in this excellent initiative.  Since then, in conjunction with the Trust Occupational Health Department,  we have run awareness sessions for our managers in the context of being a MINDFUL EMPLOYER which includes a definition of mental health, signs and symptoms of both positive and poor wellbeing and the impact of not handling the situation on the individual, other staff and patients and early interventions.  Becoming a MINDFUL EMPLOYER was the Trust prompt to run these awareness sessions.

Helen Long, Divisional Human Resources Manager, Scarborough & North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust 

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