Mental health support in the workplace

Staff at a Shropshire accountancy practice are set to honour this year’s World Mental Health Day as part of their ongoing wellness in the workplace initiative.

The teams at Dyke Yaxley Chartered Accountants in Shrewsbury and Telford will get together on October 10th to enjoy cake and biscuits and an informal chat.

Human Resources Advisor Amanda Cowey said the theme of this year’s event was: “It’s time to prioritise mental health in the workplace”.

“We established our ‘cake break’ initiative back in April in which we regularly offer all our employees across both offices the chance to take a break and join their colleagues for informal conversations over cake, sandwiches and drinks.

“It’s now a regular favourite event for everyone and it will be a really positive way to honour the worldwide date.

“The idea of refreshments may seem a simple one, but it gives our employees the opportunity to take a break from work, move from their work station and interact with colleagues without it being about work. Ultimately conversations like this can help to identify if anyone needs support of any kind.”

Dyke Yaxley is committed to investing in mental health support for all its employees – this includes training for mental health first aiders, line manager awareness, access to an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for all, and access to other medical professionals if required.

Amanda said: “Investing in an EAP with a 24hr helpline is vital support that a business can offer their employees, through which they can access various treatments for their health and wellbeing, in the knowledge they will be treated confidentially.

“Mental health awareness also features in the induction process for all new employees, as we aim to encourage the culture of support from the very beginning of their career with us to remove any stigma they may feel when it comes to reaching out.

“As a company, our aim is to ensure any employee can reach out at any time to get support for their particular needs and we make this possible by offering access to a wide range of services.”

To find out more about World Mental Health Day visit World Mental Health Day 2024 - Mental Health UK (mentalhealth-uk.org)