Glazerite UK Group has begun rolling out Mental Health Awareness sessions as part of a nationwide programme.
The sessions will encompass all 270 Glazerite employees, based across each of its five sites, with the aim of increasing people’s awareness and understanding of mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
David Beeney, the consultant and mental health counsellor leading the sessions, advises companies on how to reduce the stigma of mental health in the workplace. He said: “With mental health issues in the workplace costing UK employers £26 billion per year, it’s key that companies address how they can help their employees, and provide an open and stigma-free environment.
“The Glazerite workshops have been designed to help managers better support their teams, and to encourage employees who might be suffering in silence to speak out and seek help. It’s fantastic that Glazerite wants to engage every employee in the process. Being more aware of their own mental health, and that of others around them, means they can reach out and help a colleague who might be struggling with their own wellbeing.”
Matthew Thomas, managing director of Glazerite East, who has recently taken part in the three hour, interactive workshop, said: “We’ve had lots of positive feedback from our staff so far on the workshops, and it was pertinent to see how some of my older male colleagues found the session so poignant, which I wasn’t necessarily expecting. I think mental health issues are something people feel they have to mask, particularly at work, so it’s really important Glazerite is looking to address the issue, not only with these sessions but with ongoing planned support, such as access to a confidential helpline.”
Glazerite Chairman, John Hewitt, says the programme is being implemented with the aim of creating a culture across the business where people feel they can raise mental health issues and discuss them in a stigma-free environment. He added: “These sessions are the first step towards achieving a more open culture and supportive environment at Glazerite in which our employees can thrive. It’s also important to us that we work together to raise general awareness of mental health issues, especially given they affect as many as one in four people in the UK at some point in their lives.”
For more information on David Beeney’s workshop, visit: www.breakingthesilence.co.uk
