As part of January’s Hazard of the Month, Wellbeing, we’re highlighting two key areas: Mental Health Awareness and Healthy Living.
Mental Health Awareness
More than 17.9 million working days were lost in the last year due to stress, anxiety, or depression, with stress being the leading cause for sick days in the UK.
All employers are required by law to assess the risk of work-related stress and take action to mitigate these risks.
The Working Minds Campaign, a mental health campaign run by the Health and Safety Executive, suggests five key steps to tackle work related stress and promote, support and sustain good mental health in the workplace:
- Reach Out – Speak to your staff both individually and as a team. Starting the conversation around mental health can make it easier for people to be open and honest if they are struggling.
- Recognise – Know the signs of stress in both individuals and across a group.
- Changes in individuals could include:
- taking more time off
- arriving late for work
- heightened emotional reactions
- nervousness
- reduction in motivation
- mood swings
- being withdrawn
- Within a team, signs of stress could include:
- increase in arguments
- increase in sickness absence
- increase in complaints and grievances
- increase in staff turnover
- increase in reports of stress
- decrease in performance
- Changes in individuals could include:
- Respond – Once problems have been identified, what improvements or support can you implement to address issues? Agree on action plans and solutions with your employees.
- Reflect – Monitor and review the effectiveness of actions you have taken. Check if actions have been maintained, if they have led to improvements, and if any changes are needed.
- Routine – Make checking in with your employees part of your routine. By regularly asking people how they are, conversations about mental health feel less out of the blue.
Learn more about mental health in the workplace with our Mental Health Awareness online training! Save 10% for January only with the code ‘wellbeing10’!
Healthy Living
Taking care of your physical health is essential, as not only can this improve your wellbeing, energy levels, and productivity, but also reduce your risk of developing a noncommunicable disease (NCD).
Responsible for 74% of all deaths worldwide, noncommunicable diseases include heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease.
There are five major risk factors in developing an NCD:
- tobacco use
- physical inactivity
- alcohol misuse
- unhealthy diet
- air pollution
Modern life makes it a challenge to ensure we get enough movement, sleep, and nutritious meals – a lack of time and an increasing availability of processed foods means convenience often wins out.
However, by making small lifestyle changes and applying healthy habits despite time constraints, you can work towards a healthier lifestyle.
Learn how you can improve your physical health with our Healthy Living online training! Save 10% for January only with the code ‘wellbeing10’!
Mental Health Awareness and Healthy Living training courses are essential tools in improving physical and mental wellbeing. Make sure you don’t miss out on our 10% off deal on these courses, available until the end of January. Simply enter the code ‘wellbeing10’ at checkout to save!
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