MITIE, a strategic outsourcing company, has taken a long-term approach to managing mental health at work, embedding mental health training in its multi-award winning The ‘Real Apprentice’ scheme.
The scheme aims to prepare unemployed residents of East London for work in the many high-profile companies on their doorstep in Canary Wharf and the City. MITIE recognised at an early stage that providing mental health training to both apprentices and line managers would be key to ensuring readiness for a return to the workplace for the many long-term unemployed taking part in the scheme.
The company launched Raising the Game on Mental Health, a programme designed to promote the importance of mental health and emotional resilience for the apprentices’ sustained employment. MITIE also introduced Mental Health First Aid training for all managers and mentors to give them the knowledge and confidence to recognise signs of mental health problems, and to be able to encourage someone to seek help if needed.
The training has had a clear impact, with managers reporting their confidence in their ability to support a person with mental health problems rising from a median of 3 out of 10 before training to 8 out of 10 after training. Managers also reported a strong desire to then educate and influence colleagues about mental health, and apply what they had learnt.
As a result of the training, MITIE’s staff are beginning to feel able to talk about mental health issues such as anxiety and stress, the first step in removing the stigma surrounding mental health. The impact of the training is being felt across the business with internal placements being taken up by managers and HR specialists to improve the wellbeing of their staff. MITIE’s clients, partners and competitors are also benefiting, with training being offered as a free added value service to a list of organisations including BT, A4E, JobCentre Plus and a number of global law firms.