1. What is positive mental health and wellbeing? Just as we all have physical health that varies from person to person and from time to time, we all have mental health which fluctuates. The World Health Organisation defines mental health as ‘a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community’.
2. Why it matters to Hercules Site Services Ltd 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 Site Services Ltd mission: This is particularly important to Hercules Site Services Ltd 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 Site Services Ltd 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 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 Site Services Ltd’s success and sustainability. Overall, this policy aims to: a. build and maintain a workplace environment and culture that promotes positive mental health and wellbeing and prevents discrimination (including bullying and harassment); b. increase employee knowledge and awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues and behaviours; c. recognise and address sources of stress in the workplace; d. support those staff who are experiencing poor mental health; e. reduce stigma around depression and anxiety in the workplace; f. 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 Site Services Ltd policies as appropriate.
6. How it contributes to Hercules Site Services Ltd’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy or Plan: This policy is part of Hercules Site Services Ltd’s overarching strategy/ plan to promote positive mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. Whereas the strategy/ plan outlines several areas of improvement over the next X 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 Site Services Ltd undertakes: a) 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; b) 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; c) 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.; d) to provide training for line managers and all staff to raise mental health awareness and support better wellbeing; e) to have fair and non-discriminatory recruitment practices and to welcome applications from people with mental health conditions; f) to identify and effectively address sources of stress in the workplace following the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stress at work guidance e.g. flexible working, appropriate induction, training when roles change, training on customer care etc.; g) to ask regularly about employees’ wellbeing; to be aware of common mental health conditions and the impact these can have at work; to talk with employees about their work in the context of their mental health and wellbeing; to make reasonable adjustments to work during periods of poor mental health or recovery; to comply with the Equality Act 2010; h) to enable conversations about mental health without stigma; i) to provide information about and promote access to helplines and/or local services as appropriate
8. Who is responsible for what? Hercules Site Services Ltd Managers have a responsibility to: a) ensure that all staff are made aware of this policy; b) actively support and contribute to the implementation of this policy, including its goals; c) manage the implementation and review of this policy. In turn we encourage our employees to undertake to: a) understand this policy and seek clarification from management where required; b) consider this policy while completing work-related duties and at any time while representing Hercules Site Services Ltd; c) support fellow staff in their awareness of this policy; d) support and contribute to Hercules Site Services Ltd’s aim of providing a mentally healthy and supportive environment for all staff. All staff have a responsibility to: a) take reasonable care of their own mental health and wellbeing as well as their physical health; b) take reasonable care that their actions do not adversely affect the health and safety of other people in the workplace; c) alert their line manager (or, if this is not possible, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead) if they notice that their mental health is slipping or that they are struggling at work; d) alert their line manager, or their colleague’s line manager, if they believe that one of their colleagues is struggling with their mental health or wellbeing so that their colleague can be supported promptly and so that they themselves can be supported; e) take part in constructive conversations about what support or reasonable adjustments can be made to support them at work or on their return to work after a period of illness; f) stay in touch during time off work; g) avoid using stigmatising language about people with mental health conditions and avoid discriminatory behaviour.
9. How Hercules Site Services Ltd measures the impact of this policy: As an organisation, Hercules Site Services Ltd acknowledges that measuring and reporting the impact of this policy and procedures is key to achieving its aims, i.e. promoting and maintaining the mental health and wellbeing of all our staff. We are therefore committed to the effective measurement of the impact of this policy and to reporting on it regularly. The policy has many strands and the impact will be assessed in a number of different ways, including monitoring and reporting: a) staff turnover due to mental health conditions or stress and as a proportion of all staff turnover; b) staff absences due to mental health conditions or stress and as proportion of all staff absences; c) accidents or errors at work that might be attributable to mental health difficulties at work; d) staff survey data about stress and stigma – optional for staff to complete – e) number of new referrals to counselling/ EAP; f) where appropriate, feedback from suppliers and customers.
10. How this policy is communicated: Hercules Site Services Ltd will ensure that: a) all staff receive a copy of this policy at induction; b) this policy is easily accessible by all members of the organisation; c) employees are informed when a particular activity aligns with this policy; d) employees are empowered to actively contribute to and provide feedback on this policy; e) employees are notified of all changes to this policy.
11. How often this policy will be reviewed: This policy will be reviewed after the first year then yearly thereafter. Effectiveness of the policy will be assessed through: a) feedback from staff and management; b) reference to the impact measurements detailed in section 13 above; c) review of the policy by management to determine if its overall objectives have been met and to identify both barriers and supports to ensuring that progress is sustained.

The Managing Director shall review this policy annually or following significant changes.

Brusk Korkmaz

Managing Director

Hercules Site Services Ltd

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