Liverpool’s Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, is championing a campaign to promote good mental health and wellbeing at work, in support of World Mental Health Day.
The Combined Authority and Growth Platform have produced a series of short videos from local people sharing their perspective on mental health and encouraging everyone to talk about it.
The Growth Platform website is signposting businesses and individuals to a range of resources, from organisations including the Zero Suicide Alliance, Mental Health First Aid England and Mind.
Employers can access discounted Mental Health First Aid Training via the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Be More Skills Funding programme. Information is available from the Growth Platform’s Skills Brokerage Service.
Speaking about the initiative, Mayor Steve Rotheram said:
“The workplace can be a stressful environment at times. We know that the last 18 months have made existing challenges worse, and posed new ones. A lot of people have been struggling as a result.
“One of the biggest things we can each do is to learn to recognize some of the signs that a colleague might be struggling. There’s some simple training and other resources available to use. Much of it is free and you can do it from home.
“I want everybody to know that it’s okay to be not okay. You are not alone. There is support out there and I hope that by raising awareness more people feel comfortable talking about mental health and getting the support they need.”
Chair of the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, Asif Hamid MBE, said:
“Around 18 million working days are lost each year due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety.
“Some of the challenges are to do with the core experience of work, such as having fair terms and conditions, a safe and respectful workplace environment. It also to do with being aware of the issue and learning how to talk about it.
“There are resources available to help and I encourage all businesses to use them. Good mental health is vital for both personal wellbeing and business success.”
Mayor Steve Rotheram intends to stage an event focused on mental health at work later in the year, delivered with The Good Business Festival. Plans will be announced soon.
Helpful resources are available at the Growth Platform website growthplatform.org/mental-health-in-the-workplace/
