For World Mental Health Day (10th October), David Wilson Homes East Midlands is encouraging open discussions about mental health in the workplace.
Three employees for the housebuilder have undergone training in mental health first aid, and are now the first port of call for colleagues who are experiencing issues with their mental wellbeing.
One of the Mental Health First Aiders based at the developer’s head office in Coalville, Tina White, is sharing her experiences to help spread awareness of the importance of mental health.
Tina, 42, who works as an Assistant Accountant, said: “Employees were asked to come forward if they wished to become a Mental Health First Aider, and after some thought I put myself forward.
“I found the training process very easy and informative, the training consisted of four sessions spread over two weeks with some additional studying online between training sessions.
“There was a mixture of listening to the instructor, watching online videos and reading involved including some mini workshops where we would practice how we would approach various situations.”
Tina’s training not only enabled her to learn how to promote positive mental health among colleagues, but also learn things about mental health that she wasn’t previously aware of.
She continued: “It’s not always obvious that someone is struggling with their mental health and many people will mask how they feel.
“It is very important to talk about mental health to break down the stigma often attached to mental health, to make it easier for people to come forward and seek help and to make it easier to for people share their experiences. I don’t think the importance has increased over recent years; I feel that we are becoming more open to talking about mental health.”
Promoting the importance of mental health in the workplace is a huge focus for the developer, as raising awareness and offering resources provides a step towards improved mental health for workers in the construction sector.
According to the mental health charity Mind, one in four people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England; with one in six people reporting experiencing a common mental health problem, like anxiety and depression, in any given week.
Tina is encouraging people to consider mental health training to help support others around them.
She added: “I am proud to be a part of a great team that is there to help others in their time of need.
“I feel the more people that become Mental Health First Aiders, the more open we will all be to talking about mental health.”
John Reddington, Managing Director at David Wilson Homes East Midlands, said: “We are incredibly proud as the UK’s leading housebuilder to offer this mental health first aid training to our employees. Tina is a credit to the company for her enthusiasm and fantastic support to colleagues.
“Our employees and their mental health are of upmost importance to us and we couldn’t be happier to be leading the change in discussing mental health within construction.”
