Supporting employee mental health during the cost-of-living crisis
In times of crisis, it can be difficult to monitor and support the mental health of your team, particularly with many people now working more remotely or from home. But there are some digital tools that can provide assistance.
Mental health charity resources
Charities like Mind and Time to Change provide a wealth of free resources and information, from guidance on how to talk about mental health in the workplace, to downloadable tools to help you implement new policies.
Operating outside the UK? The Campaign Against Living Miserably has compiled a great list of international mental health charities here.
Mental health first aid training
Lots of people have a First Aid certificate. Mental health first aid certificates are perhaps less common, but a great thing to invest in.
At Vodafone, we’ve been delivering Mental Health First Aid training since 2019. We want everyone to be able to get support when they need it, and we understand the benefit provided by our network of volunteers from around the business. Equipped to recognise the signs of mental health issues, they know how to help and understand when professional help might be required.
We continue to assist our mental health first aiders with regular meetings and on-going collateral from our training provider. Mental Health First Aid International is a good place to start when looking for courses.
Employee wellness tools
Many businesses use Slack to send messages between employees. If you’re one of them, Kona is an add-on worth exploring. Think of it as a virtual ‘wellbeing officer’, which can check-in on staff and monitor for stress or burnout.
There are lots of similar tools for those who don’t use Slack, such as Modern Health and Lyra. These provide personalised support in several areas of mental health, from therapy to medication management.
And remember that there are many mobile apps focused on wellness, such as Calm, Talkspace or Headspace. Business plans are available which would give employees a flexible way to manage their own mental health.
Get talking!
Mental health shouldn’t be a taboo subject. If you embed it into your company’s culture and values, all employees will know it’s important, and something they can talk about freely. Be clear that you care, and will help with support and tools if they need them.
A mental health toolkit is a great place to start. At Vodafone we host events and webinars during awareness days throughout the year to remind our teams of the importance of mental health.