2. Why it matters to Hercules

Whilst most of us have positive mental health and wellbeing most of the time, our mental health can change. There may be times when we are ‘thriving’, times when we start to struggle, and times when we develop a diagnosable mental health condition. 1 in 6 UK workers are currently experiencing a mental health condition, and 1 in 4 workers will have some form of mental health condition in any one year. So in Hercules Site Services we might have 15% staff who are experiencing some mental health condition such as anxiety, depression, or feeling the effects of undue stress. These conditions might last a long or a short time or they might come and go. And just as we help our employees to keep physically well and support them through physical illness or disability, we undertake to do the same for our staff with respect to mental health and wellbeing. We aim to help all staff keep mentally well and to support them through periods of poor mental health whether they remain at work or take time off.

How it fits with Hercules mission: This is particularly important to Hercules because we strive to “work together with our clients and workforce, one vision, one team, one solution”. We value our employees and believe that each employee plays an important part in contributing to our goals.

3. What the policy aims to do

The purpose of this policy is for Hercules to establish, promote and maintain the mental health and wellbeing of all our staff through workplace practices, and encourage staff to take responsibility for their own mental health and wellbeing. We pursue this aim using a whole organisation approach (see point 7 below) which includes promoting positive mental health for all staff, recognising and addressing sources of stress in the workplace, and supporting those staff who are experiencing poor mental health. This policy sets out what help is available to support all staff to have positive mental health and wellbeing, how to access help, what procedures to follow, what documents to use, and how we measure and report on its impact. By developing a positive culture and by implementing practical, relevant and effective practices we can contribute to Hercules’ success and sustainability.

Overall, this policy aims to:

• build and maintain a workplace environment and culture that promotes positive mental health and wellbeing and prevents discrimination (including bullying and harassment)
• increase employee knowledge and awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues and behaviours
• recognise and address sources of stress in the workplace
• support those staff who are experiencing poor mental health
• reduce stigma around depression and anxiety in the workplace
• facilitate employees’ active participation in a range of initiatives that support and promote mental health and wellbeing for all staff.

4. What and who the policy is for

Mental health conditions and the effects of stress can affect anyone, regardless of their position in the organisation. This policy applies equally to all employees including part-time staff, contractors, freelancers and volunteers (from now on referred to as ‘staff’).

5. Where the policy sits alongside other HR policies

This policy should be read and followed in conjunction with our physical health / substance misuse / absence / disciplinary / other Hercules policies, as appropriate.

6. How it contributes to Hercules’ Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy or Plan

This policy is part of Hercules Site Services overarching plan to promote positive mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. Whereas the strategy outlines several areas of improvement over the next 5 years and might include specific plans, the focus of this policy is on what values we hold, what responsibilities we have, what we will undertake and in turn what we expect from our staff.

7. Promoting a whole organisation approach

Hercules undertakes:

• to adopt a ‘whole organisation approach’ described in an annual plan or pledge that is reviewed by the Board and to have staff wellbeing on all Board agendas.
• to appoint a Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead on the Board and workplace champions in key parts of the organisation and to have staff wellbeing on all team meeting agendas.
• to promote staff wellbeing by engaging proactively with staff, identifying and offering wellbeing initiatives following the 5 Ways to Wellbeing (developed by the New Economics Foundation – see Appendix A), e.g. keeping active, organising social events, CPD events on wellbeing, volunteering or fundraising etc.
• to provide training for line managers and all staff to raise mental health awareness and support better wellbeing.
• to have fair and non-discriminatory recruitment practices and to welcome applications from people with mental health conditions.

A. How to promote positive mental health for all staff

Hercules is committed, through the implementation of this policy and our own actions, to promoting positive mental health for all staff. Equally, we want to provide staff with information and resources on how they can look after their own wellbeing and to lead by example in this regard – through our day-to-day behaviours, through providing activities within work that support individual wellbeing, and through promoting a healthy work/life balance.

The following five evidence-based steps have been researched and developed by the New Economics Foundation, and are recognised as being important for our individual wellbeing. These may help stimulate ideas for activities (inside and outside the workplace) that support this aim:

Connect: Connect with the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work, school or in your local community. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing these relationships. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.

Be Active: Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy and that suits your level of mobility and fitness.

Take Notice/Be mindful: Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.

Keep Learning: Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun.

Give: Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out, as well as in. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you.

B. How to recognise signs of mental health problems at work

We may become aware of signs which indicate that a colleague is experiencing mental health or emotional wellbeing difficulties. These warning signs should always be taken seriously and staff observing any of these warning signs should communicate their concerns to the employee’s line manager and/or Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead. Possible warning signs include:

• changes in productivity e.g. deterioration in performance at work, lethargy in a previously energetic person, new pattern of unexplained lateness or absences, recent inability to concentrate on work, recent inability to complete work;
• changes in social functioning e.g. deterioration in social functioning, withdrawal from colleagues, isolation;
• changes in personality or behaviour e.g. extreme mood swings, acting anxious or agitated, showing rage, uncontrolled anger, behaving recklessly;
• increased alcohol or drug use;
• changes in eating and sleeping patterns;
• signs of (self-inflicted) physical harm.

C. How to identify areas of stress at work

The HSE defines stress as ‘the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them’’. This makes an important distinction between pressure, which can be a positive state if managed correctly, and stress which can be detrimental to health.

They identify six main areas of work design which can affect stress levels, and which should be managed carefully and proactively. These are:

• demands: workload, work patterns, environment;
• control: how much say you have in the way you do your work;
• support: encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by organisation, line management and colleagues;
• relationships: promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour;
• role: understanding your role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that you don’t have conflicting roles;
• change: how organisational change is managed and communicated.

We undertake to support managers to:

• monitor workloads to ensure that people are not overloaded;
• monitor working hours and overtime to ensure that staff are not overworking;
• monitor holidays to ensure that staff are taking their full entitlement;