#mentalhealthmatters Archives

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2022

Mental Health Awareness Week is a yearly event, this year running from the 9th to 15th May focussing on improving positive mental health for everyone. It is hosted by the Mental Health Foundation.

For 2022, the theme is all around exploring the impacts of loneliness and how we can tackle this.

The Mental Health Foundation conducted recent research which discovered many people have increasingly been suffering from feelings of isolation and loneliness which has led to harmful outcomes.

The research they uncovered, showed an increasing need from people everywhere to see loneliness being addressed as a serious topic requiring urgent action.

Given the theme of loneliness, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in partnership with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will continue to encourage people to ‘Lift someone out of loneliness’ as part of the Better Health – Every Mind Matters campaign.

The campaign will continue to point people towards the Every Mind Matters Loneliness webpage, where there is advice for ways to help yourself or others who may be feeling lonely and suggested support routes Loneliness – Every Mind Matters – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

As a call to action, this week the Mental Health Foundation are asking everyone – companies, organisations and individuals – to support their campaign and to help spread this important message across their social channels and beyond.

Campaign assets can be downloaded from the Campaign Resource Centre

You can watch a powerful short film on the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/lifes-challenges/loneliness/

Any one of us can feel lonely. Occasional thoughts and feelings of lonliness are normal.

But when these feelings progress into deeper, long-standing thoughts of isolation and being truly alone – thats when loneliness can make a huge impact on our mental and physical wellbeing.

Above all, it is important to know that these feelings can pass, and that there are lots of ways we can help each other too.

Just 3 little words can make a HUGE difference!

Fancy a cuppa? Fancy a walk? Sometimes reaching out to each other with as little as three words can make a huge difference.

As part of the Better Health: Every Mind Matters campaign, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are encouraging people to ‘Lift Someone Out of Loneliness’ by taking a simple action to help someone who may be feeling lonely. If we do this regularly, we can all help to lift each other up.

Find out how you can help to lift someone out of loneliness

So, this week, if you see someone struggling, someone who doesn’t seem to be their usual self, give them a warm smile, ask how they are doing. Offer to make a drink.

Whether in the office, at home, at school or college, a random act of kindness this week could make all the difference to someone struggling with feelings of loneliness.

Here at Astute, we are working in partnership with Kate Woods of MHPP, working in partnership with the University of Derby, providing all of our team with the tools to look after each other’s mental health and to spot the signs of loneliness and other feelings which can impact our wellbeing.

Kate’s service is available free to all organisations and SME businesses.

You can reach out to Kate on LinkedIn and by email to [email protected]

You can also check out our article on the 6 top tips to avoid loneliness in work HERE.

#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #Ivebeenthere

#MHPPMAY22

#BeAstute – Childrens Mental Health Week 2021 “I’m enough as I am said the boy”

What inspires children can so often inspire all of us…

“What’s your best discovery?” asked the mole.

“that I’m enough as I am” said the boy.

I love this quote by Charlie Mackesy in his award-winning 2019 book, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse.

My son was given this book to inspire him and all the then year, 6 pupils, in his school.

He’s kept it.

The other day, he came up to me in my upstairs bedroom (aka ‘office’ 🤣) and said,

“Mum, this is a really great book!”.

“Can I have a read?” I asked.

” ‘course you can Mum, but I want it back!”

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye as I read beautiful and moving pearls of wisdom. Whilst written a couple of years ago, this is a timeless, wonderful book for kids and adults alike.

The gentle words wash over you, giving you a warm hug of reassurance.

And we all need a hug right now. ❤️❤️

Thank you Ashbrook Junior School!

Thank you Charlie Mackesy for creating such a heartwarming, wise and beautiful book.

A book for the best of times, and the hardest of times too. It’s a brilliant book to recommend to all those parents working from home for their children, especially during this special children’s week dedicated to raising awareness of child mental health.

It’s a beautiful, and rare book that can befriend a child and also captivate adults too.

A lot of parents are struggling to juggle their work and jobs from home whilst overseeing their children’s schoolwork at the moment. As a parent and an employer of staff with children, its really important to highlight and recommend great opportunities to help hardworking parents reassure their kids.

There is a great organisation called Children’s Mental Health Week

where you can access a video from their Royal Patron, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge’s video message to mark the start of the week.

Their Virtual Assembly with BAFTA and Oak National Academy is now available to view and share – featuring Jodie Whittaker, Oti Mabuse, Matthew Lewis, and many more…

If you would like to read more articles and posts on employment, recruitment, careers, mental health, and more, please follow Mary and our company page for Astute Recruitment Ltd on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Mary Maguire

Managing Director
Astute | Accountancy & Finance | HR | Office Support

Suite One, Ground Floor West, Cardinal Square, 10 Nottingham Road, Derby, DE1 3QT

T: 01332 346100
M: 07717 412911

E: [email protected]

W: www.astuterecruitment.com

LI: https://uk.linkedin.com/pub/mary-maguire/18/73/553

LI: www.linkedin.com/company/astute-recruitment/

Mental Health Week Can Your Business Afford to Ignore Mental Health?

We investigate the key impacts, costs, AND savings to companies of mental health at work.

Mental health has increasingly been highlighted as a key factor in business and employee performance, success and productivity.

This year’s Mental Health Week has special importance with the global fight against covid sars 2. Millions of workers, everywhere, across the world have been impacted.

Some working remotely, some furloughed. Some facing redundancy. Some already recently made redundant.

People’s work suroundings and working conditions have been turned upside down in just a few, short months, and whilst efforts to crank up the wheels of industry are in motion, the working landscape is likely to have been changed forever.

Nearly 1 in 7 people, almost 15% suffer some degree of mental health problems at work.

Men in full time employment are half as likely as women to experience mental health problems.

Nearly 13% of all staff absences in the UK can be attributed directly to mental health conditions.

According to research, improvements to mental health frameworks at work could equate to over £8bn in savings for UK businesses alone!

In today’s uncertain ecconomy, business owners, Finance Directors and senior management are more conscious than ever to seek good returns on investment and save money and more importantly improve staff engagement, morale and resilience.

What better way than to invest in staff?

But what are the cost benefits? How can this improve my balance sheet and company performance?

According to The Mental Health Foundation, workplace interventions including employee screening and care management strategies for those living with (or at risk of) depression was estimated to cost £30.90 per employee for assessment, and a further £240.00 for the use of CBT to manage the problem, way back in 2009 alone.

An economic model conducted in a company of 500 employees where two thirds are offered and accept the treatment, an investment of £20,676 will result in a net profit of approximately £83,278 over a two year period.

So, how can employers, HR teams, business leaders put in place policies to effectively improve employee wellbeing and mental health in their workforce?

Make it personal.

Employ personalised, tailored information for staff

Create bespoke advice specific to your staff, your business and working environment

Create risk assessment questionaires

Encourage staff to watch online seminars

Implement online workshops using experts

Use experts. You don’t have to do this alone. Use businesses like Precise HR Ltd, who can give honest, tailored advice specific to your company, workforce, industry and importantly, your budget!

The cost?

Approximately £80 for every employee, for 12 months.

The saving?

According to the Mental Health Foundation, for a company with 500 employees, where all employees undergo interventions, it is estimated that an initial investment of £40,000 will yield a net return of £347,722 in savings. Mostly due to reduced presenteeism (lost productivity caused by an employee working while ill) and absenteeism (work hours missed due to ill health).

In another article by Michael Parsonage and Geena Saini, their report highlights that mental health problems in the UK workforce cost employers almost £35 billion just 3 years ago.

They broke down the overall costs as follows: –

£10.6 billion in sickness absence;
£21.2 billion in reduced productivity at work, or ‘presenteeism’
£3.1 billion in replacing staff who leave their jobs because of their mental health.

So, conclusively, the costs of ignoring mental health for your employees, simply can’t be ignored.

More useful links for detailed reports, information and advice on Mental Health issues: –

The Mental Health Foundation

Precise Hr Ltd

The Centre For Mental Health

The UK Government’s Latest Advice on Mental Health and Wellbeing

…………. Below 2b curated…….

References

Lelliott, P., Tulloch, S., Boardman, J., Harvey, S., & Henderson, H. (2008). Mental health and work. Retrieved from gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212266/hwwb-mental-health-and-work.pdf

Stansfeld, S., Clark, C., Bebbington, P., King, M., Jenkins, R., & Hinchliffe, S. (2016). Chapter 2: Common mental disorders. In S. McManus, P. Bebbington, R. Jenkins, & T.Brugha (Eds.), Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital.

ONS. (2014). Full Report: Sickness Absence on the Labour Market, February 2014. Retrieved from webarchive. nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171776_353899.pdf [Accessed 28/07/16].

Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health. (2009). Briefing 40: Removing Barriers. The facts about mental health and employment. Retrieved from ohrn.nhs.uk/resource/policy/TheFactsaboutMentalHealth.pdf

Knapp, M., McDaid, D., & Parsonage, M. (2011). Mental Health Promotion and Mental Illness Prevention: The Economic Case. Retrieved from gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/215626/dh_126386.pdf [Accessed 02/07/16].

The social media and pressures in general forced upon someone who was actually very fragile, resulted in tragedy for Caroline, her friends, and family.

Her death also served to highlight as a warning for all of us that whilst dates in the year like Valentines Day have typically become a day of ‘lurve’, joy and celebration, there are a whole lot of people for whom these dates float around bringing them dread.

Relationships can and do break up.

Many people, find occasions like the 14th of February hard to deal with as they are single, having relationship difficulties or just ‘in-between’ relationships.

Some will be very happy in their own company too.

Mary writes in her piece that

“Whilst happily married, I’ve known times before I met ‘the one’ where I delighted in my own company, and times I felt genuinely lonely, feeling a bit out of the loop if Valentines Day coincided with one of those periods.

My point? It’s easy to feel that you should comply with the herd. In this case, the schmaltz churned out by any kind of media or peer pressure.

So, whatever your relationship status, celebrate the fact that you, yourself, are great! Allow yourself to feel happy whether you are single, married, or other. Most of all, be mindful that today and every day, there may be work colleagues, friends and family who may be finding it tough and who would appreciate some love of the friendship and empathy kind.“

This is such a huge topic and one that employers everywhere and anyone with work colleagues need to be mindful of. Not everyone may be in the ‘happy’ place you are in, but a friendly smile, gentle touch and warm words of encouragement can go a long way in helping someone step away from dark thoughts.

To see other posts and articles by Mary, you can view her LinkedIn and Follow Mary on https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-maguire-55307318/

You can follow our company LinkedIn page by clicking HERE and just selecting “FOLLOW”

‘You are not alone’ Stress Awareness Day 2019

Its National Stress Awareness Day 2019.

Some stats from the Health and Safety Executive Department figures

The UK’s economy lost a total of 12.8million workdays in 2018 solely due to stress

602,000 UK workers suffer from work-related mental issues such as depression and anxiety

44% of work-related sick days were caused by depression and anxiety

Stress Awareness Day on November 6^th was created by the International Stress Management Association (ISMA). For 2019, Resilience is the theme – enabling people to employ key coping mechanisms when coping with the everday pressures of life – at work and at home.

FIRSTLY you need to gauge your own mental state – Ease that tornado of thoughts which make you start to feel anxious, take a step back.

Every Mind Matters has a five-questions quiz to help you have a clearer view of your mental health and for you to understand how ‘stressed’ you are..

Once you understand the state of your mental health you can begin to increase your resilience to your own, personal ‘triggers’.

Mental Health charities such as Every Mind Matters and Mind provide more tips but have a go at these initial tips…you will need to practice these as for many these will be outside your comfort zone. It will be worth it though!

BE MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD and confident when dealing with people. If others are placing unreasonable or unrealistic demands on you, be prepared to say how you feel and to actually say “no”. Practice saying no in front of a mirror. Baby steps. Work your way up.

USE RELAXATION TECHNIQUES – you know yourself what helps you unwind, whether a nice long soak in the bath, listening to your favourite podcast or playlist. Set aside the time to do this. Don’t put this off. It is important you have ‘me time’ to properly relax.

ALLOW YOURSELF TO EXPLORE AND DEVELOP NEW HOBBIES AND INTERESTS. Set aside an activity that is totally removed from anything that causes you stress. This is a brilliant way to release you from everyday pressures. You are worth it. Stress can make people feel isolated and alone, but hobbies where you can interact with likeminded souls is a great way to meet new people, forge new friendships in a ‘safe’ environment that you can trust.

CREATE TIME FOR FRIENDS. Talking to friends about the things you find hard is proven to alleviate stress and can increase confidence and positive wellbeing. The act of talking helps keep your worries in proportion and can help your friends too. It is scientifically proven that laughter and smiling release produce chemical reactions in your body and brain – endorphins – that will help you relax and ultimately feel better.

SEEK BALANCE IN YOUR LIFE. Very hard for many of us, but if all of your time & energy seems to be sucked into your job or children its definitely time to look at ways of focussing on different areas whether family, hobbies or friends. Lack of diversity in life breeds discontent and often causes the seeds of anxiety and stress to grow.

KNOW THAT IT IS FINE TO SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP. No man or woman is an island. All of us need to accept that from time to time it is OK to admit you need a bit of help and that may include medical support. Reach out to the NHS – they have several free therapies including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (changing your thought process through ‘re-wiring your brain), Mindfulness (ensuring you are ‘present’ and ‘in the moment’) or Ecotherapy (channelling the soothing power of nature to help with mental health issues.) Your GP will be able to prescribe additional medication. If you feel like you need further care, you can talk to your GP. There are even Apps that you can access from your pocket smartphone. The NHS and Every Mind Matters recommend ones and click here to get these.

Above all, remember that although you may not feel like it, you are not alone and help is there for you.

‘You are not alone’ Stress Awareness Day 2019

Life is a series of little successes. Make sure you celebrate yours.

“Life is a series of little successes. Make sure you celebrate yours”.

A quote from the latest life coach/ business guru? Nope. My husband said this to my 10 year old son.

We all have the power to inspire and encourage others in work, rest and play.

Who are you going to inspire today?

Written by Mary Maguire, MD

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Mike

16:04 13 Mar 23

Highly recommended! Josh and Sarah have been fantastic at Astute. They've found and placed me in 2 jobs now between them, both really responsive and excellent at keeping you up to speed with things. Very knowledgable about the roles and happy to talk to companies with any queries you have.

C R.

10:45 27 Jan 23

Great agency one of the best ones I've worked with! Liz has been a great help and support in helping me towards a new direction in my career life. She is very attentive and keeps me in the loop at all times! She makes the extra effort to work with my preferred requirements for work and even if it isn't completely attainable she meets me in the middle and does as much as she can to help! Also Liz is very funny might I add 😂 and I'm happy that I can now put a face to the name after all these years! Thank you again Liz for all your help and support! 😊

Christine

10:32 20 Dec 22

Josh and the Astute team was very swift to help me to find roles that matched my profile. They are really reliable and will help through every step of the recruitment process going out of their way to assist and follow up when needed. Could not find a better recruitment agency!

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16:19 18 Dec 22

Fantastic recruitment agency.. Josh was extremely enthusiastic, encouraging and clearly knowledgeable about what was needed from both the employee and the employers point of view. Extremely supportive especially in regards to interview preparation and endeavoured to procure feedback promptly. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Astute in the future to both candidates and recruiting businesses particularly for the right fit for the role!!!

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11:56 30 Nov 22

I have worked as a candidate for Astute and they have been excellent. Super friendly service and professional agents keen to fit the right person to the right job. It has been a pleasure dealing with them and I would happily work for them again in the future. Highly recommend this agency.