Our mental health is how we are feeling inside, or how we are emotionally. It is a bit like our very own internal weather system. Here at MD Group we do what we can to ensure our staff have sunny days but we understand rainy days can occur from time to time and when they do, we have a number of umbrellas in place to help.
The culture towards mental health at MD Group is open and honest; it is not a topic we shy away from talking about. Just recently, during Mental Health Awareness week we created a series of mini podcasts where topics such as mental health triggers, our own personal journeys and social media were discussed.
In 2020 we enrolled a group of individuals from various parts of the business onto the Mental Health First Aider course. Our group of Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs) has now developed and we have support to cover all areas of the business. Our MHFAs are qualified to be a point of contact for any member of staff who is experiencing or dealing with a mental health issue or emotional distress. Interactions with MHFAs could range from having an initial conversation through to them supporting the employee to get appropriate help.
From the day our staff join us, hey have access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). This confidential service assists with some of life’s challenges, whether that be health, finances, personal or work life. It is designed to be a positive, preventative programme to provide information, advice, training and services to help our workforce deal with events and issues in everyday work and personal life. Employees can access this online or over the phone where they will speak directly to a qualified counsellor. As part of the EAP, the counsellor can refer an employee to access up to eight free counselling sessions (if required) at a time and place convenient to them.
As part of our benefits package, we offer BUPA health care and part of our BUPA cover is a mental health service. This means that employees who are referred for mental health treatment by their GP can avoid the long NHS wait times and get the help they need quickly.
In addition to the above there are so many other things we do to support our mental wellbeing such as offer volunteer days and encouraging physical activity. In March we ran a Group wide competition: Step into Spring. The competition saw employees up and down the country competing to get the highest step count in a four week period. The results were amazing and our winner walked an average of 13 miles per day! Our winners were awarded with a gift and we also raised £413 for our supported charities.
We are continually committed to supporting each other and creating a culture that enables staff to bring their full selves to work on both the sunny and rainy days!