Public and political awareness of mental health has risen significantly in recent years, as has society’s understanding of the moral and financial imperatives to improve mental wellbeing. This trend is notable in workplaces because work has been identified as the biggest cause of stress in people’s lives. Employee mental health has come under increasing focus as more and more organisations take this issue seriously. Businesses recognise that employees who feel valued and supported to spend meaningful time at work are not only more likely to have higher wellbeing levels, but also tend to perform better in their roles.
However, many employers experience challenges with improving their performance in supporting workforce mental health. A recent national poll revealed that 95% of people who had to take time off work due to stress did not tell their employer the real reason. The same research also indicated that most people still feel uncomfortable talking to their employer about mental health.
Aware of the work that remains to be done to create an open and supportive culture for staff about mental wellbeing, in 2018 the leading national mental health charity Mind commissioned Walkgrove to create a bespoke digital tool to promote better workplace mental health. The resulting Mental Health Awareness at Work e-learning course provides a helpful and supportive introduction to workplace mental health for employees in all sectors and organisations of all sizes. Using a warm and friendly style, the e-learning gives voice to the experiences of people with mental health problems. It acknowledges the fears and reservations of individuals who want to support their colleagues and promotes best practice approaches to mental health at work.
Mental Health Awareness at Work formed a crucial part of Mind’s digital expansion as a supportive organisation, fulfilling the charity’s intentions to reach a much wider audience with positive messages about mental health. At the time of writing, over 300,000 individuals across the UK have taken the e-learning, including those working at Tesco, Lacoste, TSB and other major national organisations. Given its exceptional popularity and success amongst employers and employees, Mind intend to expand the course into mobile-friendly and translated versions.
What the client said
We’re absolutely delighted with it and are very grateful for all your amazing work!
Walkgrove has been well positioned to respond to the growing interest in wellbeing, wellness and mental health training in all sectors. The e-learning development team has substantial expertise in building custom e-learning designs that tackle mental health topics in a variety of workplace settings. In recent years, the Walkgrove learning team has developed health and wellbeing e-learning for the NHS and Ofcom and have also developed several modules in the area of caring for those with dementia.