Mental health and wellbeing in the workplace continue to be popular topics of discussion with organisations of all sizes and industries looking at ways they can enhance the support and resources they provide for team members.
Here at H&G Recruitment it’s no different, we are constantly reviewing our support and processes to ensure we do all we can to assist our team members, candidates, and drivers.
In this blog, we will be sharing some of the initiatives we have in place and providing examples of tips and exercises that can hopefully help your organisation improve its mental health and wellbeing support.
A Background to Workplace Wellbeing
Around a quarter of people in the UK experience a mental illness of some form and according to research from Deloitte, poor mental health costs UK employers up to £56 billion a year in absenteeism.
Stress and anxiety are the number one cause of people requiring time off work and with the added impact of the cost-of-living crisis, more and more people are struggling.
Symptoms of work stress and anxiety can often vary from person to person but cover everything from difficulty sleeping to fatigue, sickness, tension headaches, panic attacks, and even IBS.
Currently organisations are not legally required to have a mental health first aider in place. However, the UK Government are expected to put legislation in place to make this a legal requirement in the next couple of years.
Wellbeing at H&G Recruitment
At H&G we want to try and break down the stigma around mental health and encourage people to feel like they can talk to someone and say that they don’t feel okay.
The logistics industry has historically been male dominated, but there is a stigma around men wanting to talk about their feelings.
Our Compliance Officer, Joanne, has recently qualified as a mental health first aider and will operate as the first port of call within our business. She is trained to spot the signs of mental health concerns and can assess the situation. If required, she can also help refer any individuals to Linda, an external therapist we work alongside.
Linda is a qualified clinical hypnotherapist and full-time talk therapist who is GHR & CNHC accredited with more than 15 years’ experience in practice.
Linda acts as a separate point of contact away from the business, meaning that people can speak freely about what is troubling them. Her focus isn’t on why people are struggling but instead identifying ways to resolve it, helping people to bounce back and develop effective coping techniques. Anything discussed will always remain completely confidential.
We also have a buddy system in place within our work environment that not only helps team members to settle in their roles but also provides a support network and an opportunity to build friendships and talk to someone about anything that may be affecting an individual.
Tips & Examples of Mindfulness and Exercises
Mindfulness is often viewed as something complex. However, it can be as simple as going outside and sitting on a bench and enjoyed nature. It is all about being present in the moment.
Encouraging people to incorporate activities like this in their everyday lives can help them become more self-aware, feel calmer, less stressed, and more able to choose how to respond to their thoughts and feelings.
There are also hundreds of mental health exercises that you can share with your workforce to help them in situations where they may be feeling anxious or stressed. Here is one of our favourites for dealing with situations where someone is experiencing an anxiety or panic attack:
The 5-4-3-2-1 Method
In this exercise we ask the person to name 5 things they can see, name 4 things they can touch, name 3 things they can hear, name 2 things they can smell and name 1 thing they can taste.
The aim of this exercise is to bring someone back into the present moment and away from the situation that is causing their anxiety.
More About H&G Recruitment
As a leading recruiter in the logistics industry, it is our job to provide experienced candidates who will complement your existing workforce.
We provide effective recruitment solutions across all business divisions and are committed to attracting candidates of the highest quality. We recruit for both permanent and interim appointments and can handle anything from trainee positions to the highest senior executive level.
So, whether you’re looking for candidates to fill HGV Class 1 jobs, HGV Class 2 jobs, or any warehouse roles, our dedicated team can help.
Email us at enquiries@h-g-recruitment.com or alternatively give us a call on 01707 636 680.
