Wellbeing is gradually working its way up the agenda of organisations in the FM sector. There are many approaches to addressing wellbeing at work such as improving interior design and even air quality in the workplace. The mental health of workers is paramount to their overall health and wellbeing; however, it often comes a long way second to physical health.
Premier Technical Services Group Ltd (PTSG) is one organisation that is being highly proactive in improving the help available to employees coping with a mental health issue.
In 2017-18 mental health problems accounted for 15.4 million sick leave days in the UK and around 300,000 people a year leave the workplace because of mental health problems. Statistically, in the last year, 360 of PTSG’s 1,200 employees will have felt so stressed by their body image and appearance that they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.
People are often reluctant to seek help for mental health problems, which is why PTSG takes proactive measures such as distributing throughout the company’s rest areas and canteens of a series of one-page advice sheets on subjects such as panic attacks, relaxation and sleep. Most are taken away, read and taken on board.
A number of PTSG’s directors and managers have recently completed the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) course, which will enable them to deliver specialised mental health first-aider courses throughout the Group.
It makes sense that those organisations that look after the health and wellbeing of employees are more likely to retain them. It therefore makes a positive difference to their financial health. PFM magazine recently reported that the cost of an employee leaving a business is between one and two times their annual salary. Quite simply, those organisations that look after their employees will be better off.
