Ticking A Box Or Making A Difference?
At the end of 2020, Mental Health In Recruitment surveyed the industry to understand how mental health was perceived and supported in the workplace. We also wanted to understand the reality of individual mental health for all employees and leaders.
The survey results were compelling reading. Whilst it was evident that some good things were happening in some businesses, one of the most surprising takeaways was that 1 in 4 employees believed that promoting mental health was done as a PR or tick box exercise.
The anonymity of the survey meant that respondents didn't hold back. When we asked if there was one thing their employer could do to improve mental wellness in the workplace, we had a vast number of comments that went something like this:
"Realise it is a constant challenge, not something to be considered occasionally."
"Ensure the mental health tick box exercises match up to how staff are managed."
"Action the words."
"Practice what they preach."
"Actually doing things about it, rather than just yelling about it on Linkedin to get their engagement up. It's pointless posting about it if you don't actually take any actions within your workplace."
Out of 2.2K net valid responses, positive statements about what organisations were doing around mental health were in the minority.
When you consider that 9 out of 10 recruitment industry workers and 8.5 out of 10 recruitment business owners or leaders have suffered from work-related stress, anxiety or depression - why aren't we doing more?
Workplace interventions are not only the right thing to do (morally), but research across the globe tells us there is a significant return on investment in doing so.
Recruitment is no longer a 'churn and burn' industry.
In today's current economic post-covid climate, poor culture, lack of engagement, high staff turnover, bad management practice and lack of meaningful support is going to cost you. There is a war for talent in our beloved sector, and how you treat and manage your people will impact your growth and your bottom line.
Yes, it's a stressful job
Yes, it takes GRIT
Yes, we need tenacity
Yes, our people need to be resilient
BUT
We are all human. And our employees must be allowed to be human.
Not all stress comes from the job. We all have lives outside of work, and it's an outdated concept to expect our teams to leave their emotions at the door.
It's also a bit of an outdated concept that we 'assist' our people. A term that suggests we point them in the right direction and leave them to it.
Don't get me wrong - I believe Employee Assistance Programmes can be good, and they have their place - it's just that they hardly scream: "we care about the outcome."
The Cambridge Dictionary definition of 'assistance" is: to help someone
The definition of 'support' is: to agree with and give encouragement to someone or something because you want him, her, or it to succeed
And that's the difference.
We are all human. And our employees must be allowed to be human.
When we support, we are more invested in the outcome, and that support is far more likely to be recognised, appreciated and reciprocated. In business, that translates to Discretionary Effort - i.e., a person working harder and doing more and going above and beyond because they want to, not because they have to.
Earlier this year, Mental Health In Recruitment took the findings of our industry survey and created the Awareness to Action Campaign. We have been asking Recruitment organisations to sign our Pledge and do more to change how mental health is viewed and supported in the workplace.
We have subsequently launched our Mental Health First Aid Training & Community as part of a wider Professional Services offering, and we have now taken that offering a step further.
Today we announce our exclusive partnership with SupportRoom. We've chosen to work with them so you can offer Employee Support as well as or in place of “Assistance” to your people.
SupportRoom provides several affordable solutions that give your employees access to licensed therapists and give you anonymised data to monitor wellbeing and identify trends.
This kind of benefit changes lives.
When you consider the conventional route to therapy and the fact that when it comes to people seeking help for a mental health condition, only 1 in 8 receives treatment - access to SupportRoom becomes a preventative, not just a reactive solution to wellbeing in the workplace.
Don't just tick a box - start making a difference. Improving peoples lives improves business.
If you would like more information on our Pledge, Mental Health First Aid Training or SupportRoom - including a demo, please email us at change@mentalhealthinrecruitment.org
Rhonda
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