2024: A milestone year for Ashdown Phillips & Partners
Why businesses should invest in mental health first aid training
By Nikki Nussle (HR Business Partner) and Molly Byford (Risk & Compliance Officer and EDI Lead)
About our Mental Health First Aiders programme
We believe that having Mental Health First Aiders is as important as having Physical First Aiders and we have invested in a training programme to allow company employees to volunteer as mental health first aiders (MHFA). Having this resource available, we think, is a crucial part of our mission to create a supportive and compassionate environment for all.
Our mental health first aiders hold sessions where they listen in a confidential space where employees can feel comfortable discussing their mental health, encouraging them to come and chat about anything they want to. Initially run as drop-in sessions scheduled around certain awareness days, such as Mental Health Awareness Week, sessions can now also be booked with specific mental health first aiders via the company intranet. All sessions are one-on-one in virtual locked private meetings, unless an in-person meeting can be arranged.
Having launched the programme in September 2020, we’ve been gradually expanding it and as of September 2024, all properties in our portfolio are now covered by the programme on a regional basis. With the ultimate aim of having a dedicated MHFA on each property, we are set to train up seven new volunteers in coming months. Our mental health first aiders play a key role in promoting a positive and inclusive workplace culture that is understanding and supportive of those experiencing poor mental health.
Is this about in-house counselling? Why is it needed?
Our MHFAs are not trained counsellors, but volunteers who are trained to spot early signs of poor mental health at work, so they can guide employees to get the right support if necessary.
By providing both the training opportunity and the support programme, we can give employees assurance that the company is there to support their mental wellbeing. The MHFAs are not in a position to provide ongoing treatment to any employee who may have serious mental health conditions; they are a port of call for anyone who may be struggling, is concerned about others, or just wants to get a sense of how they are doing and get some advice.
The programme has other benefits as well.
A significant number of our employees are onsite staff, engaging consistently with members of the public. This is a wonderful part of our work, but it can also bring challenges. Whether they are working in shopping centres in deprived areas, or offices in affluent areas of London, any situation can present itself to our employees. By reinforcing positive mental health practices at work, we can be confident in our onsite teams to handle mental health emergencies and be confident in our MHFAs to support their colleagues.
The company is passionate about normalising conversations around mental health, prioritising the ease of seeking help when employees need it. By having mental health first aiders and offering both bookable and drop-in sessions, the programme helps reduce stigma around the topic and when employees feel supported, they are more likely to talk openly about any issues.
The business is keen to encourage connectedness and relationships companywide, as well as build support structures outside normal reporting lines. This is both effective for those who participate and fosters an atmosphere for employees to feel heard and valued.
Proactive prevention is better than reactive cure. The idea is that by proactively providing these resources, awareness is amplified across the business. We know that we cannot prevent mental health issues from occurring, but by providing early support we hope to encourage employees to seek help when they need it. When mental health is supported and problems are spotted and addressed early, it can improve the overall health and wellbeing of our employees.
Our hope is all this adds up to employees feeling better connected, better supported – a happy and healthy workforce enhances engagement, creativity, and productivity, positively impacting the company’s performance.
Nikki Nussle (HR Business Partner) and Molly Byford (Risk & Compliance Officer and EDI Lead)
What does the law say?
The first health and safety laws were introduced in 1833 with the Factories Act, but it was not until 1981 that it became a legal requirement to have a physical first aider present in the workplace.
There is a school of thought amongst many business leaders that MHFA provision in the workplace should be a compulsory requirement, as it is with physical first aid. No amendments have been made to the Mental Health Act since 2007 and following parliamentary reviews it is apparent that reform is long overdue.
As there has been no timeframe set out for reform, it is unlikely that organisations will be legally required to have a trained MHFA anytime soon.
We would like to see workplace provision for mental health enshrined in law, but the lack of legal requirement does not prevent us from taking proactive action ourselves. We have a duty of care to our employees to create a safe workplace, prevent risk and promote wellbeing. We are committed to that responsibility.
We hope we can encourage a trend where other businesses adopt this practice voluntarily.
UK business body The CBI did some research on this, publishing the following findings in a white paper call Front of Mind in 2021:
• For every £1 invested in mental health, employers get £5 back (via increased productivity - up to 12% in some cases - and reduced absenteeism)
• 63% of UK business leaders believe they have a great social responsibility for employees' mental and physical health
• 37% of millennials think workplace health and wellbeing should be a priority for senior leaders, yet fewer than 17% think it currently is
• -61% of workers say the way employers treat their staff is the single most important factor influencing their perception of a business
• 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem in the UK
• Before the pandemic, ill mental health was responsible for 72 million working days lost and cost the UK economy £99bn per year
• Since 2014 levels of presenteeism — when employees turn up but feel unengaged and less productive — has jumped from 20.3 to 35 days
We are now starting to gather meaningful data internally and it is clear with verbal feedback around the programme that the above rings true. The programme has been hugely successful since launching and we are proud to be there for our employees.
Company values
Our company values are focus, expertise, connectedness and happiness.
While focus (on our specialism of commercial property) and expertise (the desire to learn and improve continually for clients) are very much about the service we offer, connectedness and happiness is about how we treat our people.
Whether we are supporting Men’s Health Week, running a Parent and Child Mental Health coffee morning, or bringing support animals into office spaces, our baseline is informed and compassionate support for employees. Our MHFA programme is part of our wider sustainability goals; we know that if we invest in support initiatives, we invest in our teams’ success.
