Date Added: 14.05.21

All businesses should have at least one registered first aider on hand to help members of the team in case they get injured or unwell at work, but what about when they’re feeling mentally distressed? Most standard first aid courses don’t cover what to do if a colleague is having a panic attack or  experiencing a depressive episode; that’s where mental health first aid comes in.

Mental health first aid isn’t a new thing by any means, but you may have noticed more people talking about it lately. Since the coronavirus pandemic took hold, lockdowns came in and social isolation was at its peak – mental health has been much more of a hot topic for businesses.

If there was one positive thing to come out of the last year, a keener interest in mental wellbeing from the corporate world is definitely it. According to the ONS, 1 in 5 employees experienced symptoms of depression this year as a direct result of COVID-19. Of course, mental health issues existed pre-coronavirus, but there’s no denying that it put our collective mental health under an exceptional amount of strain.

Thankfully, the CIPD have found that employers have really stepped up their game when it comes to the mental health of their teams, with 82% of surveyed employers actively taking steps to improve their team’s wellbeing. However, the same research also shows that they might be focusing on the wrong things.

Only half of those surveyed were taking a strategic approach to mental health as a business critical issue, and only a quarter had increased their budgets to support such a change. Taking a proactive, preventative stance is without a doubt the best way to go, or else you’ll find yourself spending all your energy putting out fires: from absenteeism to resignations to poor employer brand and reputation.

Luckily, there’s a really great first step to cultivating a more mentally healthy culture that doesn’t cost the earth and gets your team trained up accordingly. In support of Mental Health Awareness Week, we thought we’d shed some light on what mental health first aid is, why it’s important and why it makes business sense to enlist a mental health first aider in your organisation.

What is mental health first aid?

Mental health first aid training arms your team with the knowledge to spot the subtle signs of mental distress in your workforce. Being properly taught to identify when someone might be going through a bad patch is key to taking that preventative approach we mentioned earlier.

Not only will your team get clued up on a range of mental health concerns and how they present themselves, but they’ll also get some basic advice on how to handle a person who’s having a hard time before referring them to a professional. Whether it’s anxiety, depression or burnout – appointing a mental health first aider (or 4 if you’re like us!) to champion your business’s mental wellbeing culture sends a great message.

Not only does the wider team end up feeling more supported and cared for by the business, but it also discourages presenteeism as there’s no judgement or shame associated with poor mental health when it’s proactively being looked after.

Why should you invest in mental health first aid training?

We’ll let the stats speak for themselves on the importance of mental wellbeing at work…

• 89% of workers with mental health problems report an impact on their working life
• Poor employee mental health costs UK businesses over £42 billion every year in staff turnover, absenteeism and lost productivity
• This translates to £1,300 per employee
• Preventative mental health programmes can generate a return on investment of up to 800% – that’s £2.37 for every £1 spent

We’re not in a habit of recommending tactics that we wouldn’t employ ourselves, so if the stats weren’t a compelling enough argument, let’s hear from two of four Consult Energy resident mental health first aiders and champions…

Stacey Harris

“We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health, and it can affect people any time from all walks of life.  Although things are improving, stigma still exists around mental health and we don’t always know how to take care of our minds like we do our bodies. Having mental health first aiders encourages a culture where employers understand the impacts of mental health not only from an individual perspective but also the wider business.” – Stacey Harris, Senior Recruitment Consultant

Katie Stevenson

“Training like this is important so I know how to try and identify when people are struggling in the business so we can signpost them to the relevant support. It also vital to show that mental health concerns are nothing to be ashamed of and it encourages people to talk. Since the pandemic, we have seen a rise in mental health conditions and it’s important that we support people at work who might be experiencing a mental health issue. It feels good knowing that employees have someone they can go to in order to get help.” – Katie Stevenson, Head of People