What Policies Should an Organisation Have in Place to Support Mental Health

What Policies Should an Organisation Have in Place to Support Mental Health Welcome to our new online series on Mental Health in the Workplace. Taking care of our employees mental health is vital and weve brought together some of the worlds experts on this topic to share their thoughts with you. Our panel of 10 specialists will tell you everything there is to know about supporting your staff when it comes to their mental health in your place of work. Nick Patel The mental health needs of each individual will be different, which is why employers should create policies and offer benefits that address the breadth of the problem.   In the end, no set of policies and benefits can eclipse culture.   This is why employers should focus on building a culture that removes the stigma of discussing mental health in the workplace and creates guidelines for business conduct (work-life balance, after-work emails, etc.) that help reduce stress. Also, employers should make sure their health plan options provide adequate mental health coverage so those who need help can get it. Nick Patel, CEO of Wellable. Renae Shaw The key to having a progressive and functional mental health policy is having an effective management development programme. This means having regular training sessions that provides managers with advice on how to spot if someone on their team is experiencing an issue and ensuring they know how to approach them correctly. It is also important that company policies, such as absence reporting, are aligned with an open and supportive culture which is inclusive and supports everyone. Renae Shaw, Head of HR at Search Laboratory. Lee Keyes Improving access to mental health care is about removing barriers and promoting communication without forcing or “outing” employees. Common barriers include lack of insurance coverage, distance to providers (thus causing interruptions to life and work routines), limiting or discouraging leave time, working parent programs, etc. Dr. Lee Keyes, is a Psychologist and Emeritus Director at the University of Alabama. Emma Mamo An organisation should think about the policies and practices you have that interact with staff wellbeing and should: Find out if you have clear policies to support wellbeing and manage stress. These should set out the organisation’s approach to: promoting wellbeing for all staff; tackling the causes of work-related mental health problems like stress and anxiety; and supporting staff who are experiencing mental health problems. Check that mental wellbeing is at the heart of other policies relating to staff wellbeing such as: health and safety, working time, sickness absence and return-to-work. Review policies for performance management, disciplinary action, recruitment, change management and redundancy to ensure they take account of the impact these processes can have on employees’ mental wellbeing. Emma Mamo, Head of Workplace Wellbeing at Mind. Brendan Street The best support strategies should normalise conversations around mental health and have buy-in from the whole organisation, including CEOs and leaders. We all have mental health needs and they should be reflected and echoed in all policies and initiatives. Encouraging work-life balance and supporting mental health champions in the workplace demonstrates a commitment to improving the mental health of everyone. Training managers to confidently support their employees and colleagues is essential. Businesses should consider providing emotional literacy interventions, which provide sessions on self-awareness, empathy and relationship building to staff. At Nuffield Health, 94 percent of employees who took up emotional literacy training said they would feel confident supporting a colleague showing signs of emotional distress. Businesses can introduce Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPS), often offered with group risk products like  Income Protection, for those who may need more advanced s upport. Brendan Street, Professional Head of Emotional Wellbeing at Nuffield Health Shona Davies The sort that doesnt distinguish mental ill-health from any other illness. Its important that these policies are transparent, open, and endorsed by the employees that they govern. They need to encourage direct and open discussions around the topic. . Shona Davies, Founder of Shona Davies Consulting. Chieu Cao Mental health is highly individual, what can work for one person might not work for another. For that reason, the policies that work best are those that cater to the full spectrum of employee wellbeing and move away from the rigid and meaningless tick-box exercises that a traditional wellness programme is typically associated with. They must be holistic, tailored and adaptable. Chieu Cao, Co-Founder of Perkbox. Lucy Faulks The first step is simply having a visible mental health policy as many companies still dont have one in place. A mental health policy for the workplace defines the vision for improving the mental health of the workforce and establishes a model for action. The World Health Organisation stresses that a well formulated policy will also identify and facilitate the agreements needed among the different stakeholders in the workplace. This is key, as often a lack of responsibility and ownership leads to ineffective policies. We recommend having a read of the WHOs guidelines for formulating a mental health policy in the workplace as they are comprehensive and research led. Lucy Faulks, Co-founder of Elevate. Paula Whelan The best mental health policies are those that give a clear statement about the employer’s commitment to supporting mental health and well being in the workplace. Employees will only begin to talk about their mental health issues if the working environment feels safe and supportive. The policy should make employees aware of what support is available and give examples of reasonable adjustments that can be made. It should be supported by awareness training for all staff. Paula Whelan, Head of Diversity Inclusion at Right Track Learning. Nicole Thurman We are an organization that doesnt like policies, but we have a lot of best practices. For example, employers should look to provide PTO that can be used for mental health days, so if Im struggling with stress and just need a day off, then I can take that. Employers need to always consider the impact on people with every decision they make. Nicole Thurman, Vice President, Talent Management at CHG Healthcare.

What is Personal Brand for Candidates and How Does it Work

What is Personal Brand for Candidates and How Does it Work Weve all heard of employer brand and what that can do for your recruitment efforts but theres also such a thing as a personal brand. This week our panel of experts unpick exactly what that means and why future hires should consider having one. Kerri-Ann Hargreaves Having a strong personal brand is incredibly important. Be true to yourself. Be sure to represent yourself well on all social platforms. Recruiters and hiring managers will view them and utilise them as a way of building a profile of you. Take control of your personal brand by ensuring you are representing yourself well across all of your social channels. If you don’t wish to be found (and quite possibly judged) then ensure your personal social channels are set to private. Kerri-Ann Hargreaves,  Director, H2 Consultancy. Jeff Berger Your personal brand is how you market your talents (i.e. your employability) to companies across multiple mediums: online, on paper, and in person. This involves everything from your resume and cover letter, to your social media profiles, to how you represent yourself at networking events and during interviews. It’s essential to actively manage your online personal brand to ensure it supports â€" rather than undermines â€" your job search. Start by Googling your name, as it appears on your resume, to see what employers will find when they search for you and take action from there if necessary. Jeff Berger, CEO and Founder, Talent Inc. Lysha Holmes Your personal brand is who YOU are within your market and how you run YOUR desk accordingly. whether thats through blogs you write, events you organise or attend, tweets you share or job adverts on Linkedin; however their should be a synergy to the company you currently work for and then think ahead to the sort of company you WANT to work for- highlight areas that would appeal to a potential employer whether thats through projects you have championed or even mutual connections. Think about your own personal USP and focus on sharing that. Lysha Holmes, Recruiter of Recruiters, Qui Recruitment. Paul Wolfe Your personal brand is essentially defined by how other people see you. Chances are, people around you already have an opinion about your working style, your approachability and the way you communicate. This is your personal brand. A candidate can control their own personal brand by thinking carefully about how they handle workplace interactions and their social media presence. Paul Wolfe, Indeed Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources. Rebecca Fraser A personal brand, as in a professional product brand, is what you are best recognised for and known for. It is the “image” that you present and the alignment of your skills and capabilities to a specific role or specialisation. As you think coca cola is with coke, your personal brand is the first think that others recognise you for when they hear of your name. Rebecca Fraser, Career Strategist. Ben Martinez A personal brand is just being you. Dont try to be something or someone, just be you. Recruiters want to know who you are beyond the resume. Ben Martinez, Principal Founder, Ramp Talent. Jo Cresswell A personal brand should convey the perception that an individual wants to come across to professional connections. It will communicate to others what is unique to that person and the image that they want to convey. When it comes to job hunting, a personal brand can be extremely effective in setting that individual apart from other candidates. A personal brand takes months, if not years to cultivate, built upon cumulative work, reputation and creation of social content. Jo Cresswell, Corporate Communications Manager, Glassdoor. Darain Faraz Personal Brand is a phase that gets used a lot, but all it really means is presenting your work and achievements in a way that feels true to you. Rather than worrying about what you feel you  should  be putting on your LinkedIn profile, use it to show a bit of your personality while of course keeping it professional. A good place to start is to think about five or six words that you think your colleagues would use to describe you, and use that as a filter when deciding what to post. For example, if you like to stay on top of industry news, you could share interesting articles, accompanied by a summary of your take on the topic. Darain Faraz, Careers Expert, LinkedIn. Allan Leung Personal branding is how others will define you when you’re not in the room. For candidates, it’s a brand that you build highlighting who you are and what you uniquely have to offer to a prospective employer. Allan Leung, Lead Talent Acquisition Advisor, HCSS. Chris Murdock Your Personal Brand is seen through your LinkedIn profile and other social media platforms. It says what you have done/what you want to do. (try not to be ego-centric or braggy!) Social posts are reflective of a person’s personal brand. They should show the skills, accomplishments, and interests. Chris Murdock  is Senior Partner and Co-Founder at IQTalent Partners

The Recycled City Reflections on the Buffalo Resurgence

The Recycled City Reflections on the Buffalo Resurgence The Buffalo Resurgence, or: Inspiration From a Former Church The Buffalo Resurgence, or: Inspiration From a Former Church We are on our way to Niagara Falls and my guide doesnt understand why I want to talk about a fire-damaged church. “Well, the church was damaged by fire until it wasnt structurally sound” Brian Hayden of Visit Buffalo Niagara explains patiently, “But the tower remained, and the plan is to put some condos and apartments in there and use the tower as part of that. I mean, I guess that’s kind of intriguing, but it seems like it will be more interesting once the condos are actually there.” From the Ashes The revitalization of Buffalo has created an cyclical effect on its residents. The more energy they are putting into it, the more they continue to get back. So it’s completely understandable why Brian would miss the metaphor I saw in the remains of the church, he’s too busy talking about all the amazing things he sees in the city at present to focus on what will be their soon. But as an outsider, the poet in me appreciates the symbolism of this spot in this city. Much more akin to a Phoenix than the actual city of Phoenix (which is mostly strip malls and tract housing), Buffalo needs a few ashes from which to rise. If the Buffalo resurgence  I saw that weekend was any indication, the City of Light is shining brightly once more.