{"id":121483,"date":"2019-03-11T10:53:15","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T09:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/?p=121483"},"modified":"2019-03-12T10:52:47","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T09:52:47","slug":"7-tips-to-improve-mental-health-in-pr-and-comms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/blog\/7-tips-to-improve-mental-health-in-pr-and-comms\/","title":{"rendered":"7 tips to improve mental health in PR and comms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mental health is finally starting to get the attention it needs in society. As our Issue Spotlight: Workplace Mental Health<\/a> revealed, it\u2019s high on the Government\u2019s agenda and has drawn in a range of stakeholders across MPs, charity and business.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a major issue in PR and comms, which is why PRWeek asked a question about mental health to its most influential comms professionals in the Power Book 2019<\/a>. The question, \u2018What key practical step can your organisation take to improve staff mental health?\u2019 produced answers covering a range of helpful advice for anyone working, or managing, in communications today.<\/p>\n

1. \u2018Restricting out-of-working-hours emails and calls where possible<\/span>\u2019<\/strong>
\nThis comes from James Herring<\/a>, CEO and co-founder of Taylor Herring, but it\u2019s a popular tip throughout the Power Book. While some answers discuss different ways to create a digital detox, limit specific hours or even offer in-house apps that encourage staff to switch off (that last one\u2019s at Frank), ultimately they\u2019re all saying the same thing \u2013 when you\u2019re not at work, don\u2019t be at work.<\/p>\n

2. \u2018Create a culture in which mental health is spoken about and dealt with in the same way as physical health\u2019<\/strong><\/span>
\nSarah Hall<\/a>, former president of the CIPR, makes this point, which many work places are still struggling to implement. We easily accept people\u2019s inability to come into work or perform their best when struck with physical illness but there\u2019s a gap where mental health is not understood in the same way. By talking openly and treating it as you would any other illness, mental health becomes less stigmatised and those that need help are more able to get it.<\/p>\n

3. \u2018We offer free financial-planning clinics\u2019<\/strong><\/span>
\nThis is one of a range of perks Mark Flanagan, UK MD at Portland outlines and one which could do a great deal for the mental health of many. There are lots of links between mental ill health and financial problems \u2013 in many cases both negatively feed off each other making each situation worse. Good financial planning, which is often a service not available to most, helps people avoid this spiral.<\/p>\n

4. \u2018Put personal needs at the heart of development plans\u2019<\/strong><\/span>
\nElla Dorley-Brown<\/a>, MD at The Academy, makes this suggestion. It\u2019s often easy to make development plans with the business in mind and the many ways to achieve those goals, but if we develop people with their needs in mind we will have happier, more productive staff and that<\/em> will ultimately help achieve the business goals.<\/p>\n

5. \u2018We are rolling out Mental Health First Aider training\u2019<\/strong><\/span>
\nA number of those interviewed have said they have Mental Health First Aiders in their companies and agencies. Anna Bartle, vice-president, corporate affairs at The Est\u00e9e Lauder Companies UK and Ireland, goes on to say that these First Aiders will \u2018spot the symptoms of mental-health issues if they occur, offer initial help and guide a person towards support.\u2019 Having other staff looking out for colleagues is a great way to make the environment at work more supportive and more understanding of mental health issues. Even if you don\u2019t have officially designated First Aiders, training for staff to help spot those in need could make a world of difference to someone\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

6. \u2018Create safe spaces for people to talk about their lives without fear that it might impact their prospects\u2019<\/strong><\/span>
\nThis one is from Greg Beales<\/a>, director of campaigns, policy and comms at Shelter. It highlights the stigma still attached to mental health in the workplace whereby many people feel they can\u2019t speak up, which ultimately will make things worse. If your culture allows people to talk about it without any fear of retribution, it will improve the mental health of the whole company.<\/p>\n

7. \u2018Offer flexible working hours and a choice of work location\u2019<\/strong><\/span>
\nSaid by Shakila Ahmed, comms director at Travelodge, this is another popular point raised throughout the Power Book. While some go as far as four-day work weeks or unlimited holiday, it doesn\u2019t have to be that much of a change to make a big difference. Adapting to meet the needs of each staff member will often get the best out of them; if you have the flexibility to manage everyone individually, it will not only improve mental health but also increase productivity and performance.<\/p>\n

\u2026and finally, a plea
\n<\/strong>We were struck by Simon Enright<\/a>, Director of comms at the NHS\u2019s answer, which included a plea. He said: \u2018We were grateful to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for donating a mental-health garden to Camden and Islington Mental Health Trust. Can anyone donate another to each NHS Mental Health Trust in the country?\u2019<\/p>\n

How does your company or agency improve mental health at work? Let us know on Twitter @Vuelio<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

7 tips to improve mental health in the workplace from the most influential comms professionals in PRWeek\u2019s Power Book 2019. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":423,"featured_media":121484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7365,7272,7238],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121483"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/423"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121483"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121483\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121519,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121483\/revisions\/121519"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}