Did you know that the health risks loneliness has equates to the same risks as smoking 15 cigarettes per day? Aside from the impact loneliness has on your mental and physical health, studies suggest that severe loneliness costs businesses £9900 per person, every year due to the impact on attendance, health, and productivity.
HR teams UK-wide are finding it increasingly difficult to successfully manage and implement wellbeing protocols because hybrid and remote working are slowly becoming the new norm. According to The Campaign to End Loneliness 9 million people are now suffering from loneliness in the UK. And those are just the ones that we know of! Many people are working remotely at home keeping their feelings quiet. So, what can we do to help?
It’s clear employee happiness has a positive impact on business performance, but the major benefit of supporting employees’ mental health is improving the quality of their day-to-day lives. It’s therefore in the best interest of employers to re-think and take a new approach to employee mental wellbeing.
For Line-Managers, Employers and HR Teams to better help employees cope with the well-being crisis, taking a new approach to mental well-being has to become the norm. Most Employee Assistance Programs and benefits packages still have very little to do with Mental Health which is especially true for SMEs. So, our solution is to have A 2-step strategy to beat loneliness at work.
Step 1) Mental Health First Aid
If you’re not yet ready to implement a benefits package for everyone in the workplace, invest in just one line manager. Having at least one Mental Health First Aider on site means that there is a member of staff capable of identifying warning signs and appropriately providing support.
Step 2) 1-2-1 Meetings with a Mental Health First Aider (“Catch Up” Strategy”)
If you don’t already use 1-2-1 meetings as part of your Employee Assistance Programs, we suggest doing so. The member of staff leading these sessions should be the one that’s trained in mental health first aid. It allows you to see where an employee might need help and where you can support them.
Why use Mental Health First Aider for catchups?
Having a mental health first aider in the position to have private conversations with your employees on a regular basis will prove to be a safety net for not just loneliness but all things mental health. They’re already in a position to identify the warning signs, they’re already able to provide support and now that they’re the ones in charge of these 1-2-1 meetings, they can tailor the workplace around – not just the feedback of the 1-2-1 meetings but also – what the employee needs for their mental wellbeing.
Where can I get low-cost Mental Health First Aid training?
MHFA England has partnered with us to provide you with professionally recognized, qualified training in Mental Health First Aid. It’s low cost and payable in 4 equal instalments. If you’re interested in learning more, book a discovery call with us through the link below to have a 15-minute talk about how Mental Health First Aid can be used in your workplace. It’s no obligation and free of charge.
Click here to book a Discovery Call with KUHR at a time convenient to you or hit the button below.