We need to work harder as a country to create a society in which everyone’s mental health can flourish and where everyone has security at work whatever difficulties they may face.
Community has long been invested in supporting our reps, to make sure they have the knowledge and skills to support our members suffering with mental ill health and create better workplaces.
Over the past three years, we have delivered Mental Health First Aid Training to over two hundred of our members at Tata Steel in Wales. The attendees are now accredited Mental Health First Aiders within their workplaces.
Mark Rudge, Director of Operations for Acorn People who works with Tata Steel, says:
“The past few years have been a challenging time for everyone. The pandemic has brought increased pressures I have not experienced in my lifetime to the country, my colleagues and I.
I have always prided myself on being an approachable and personable manager, but this course has given me a far greater appreciation of the personal challenges people can be facing every day.
The industry I work in (Industrial Manufacturing Sector) historically has had a ‘pull your socks and get on with it’ attitude, but I am very happy to say this culture is quickly changing for the better.
I took the course and encouraged my supervisors and managers also, so we can be better equipped to notice any potential warning signs in our colleagues and provide guidance and support. I have a caring and approachable team, but this course has given us more confidence to spot any changes in our colleagues and to have those ‘are you ok?’ conversations.
It is all too easy to be wrapped up in our own life challenges, when others can be facing far worse. It’s good to talk!”
As a society, we’ve thankfully come a long way in the way we understand and talk about mental health problems. Yet these problems persist.
Waiting times for services remain punishingly long. Community is here to support our members, and ensure that everybody has the opportunity to succeed.
We offer several courses to help you better understand mental health, for more information click here.
If you are a member of Community and need help or advice, please contact us at help@community-tu.org or on 0800 389 6332.
© Community Trade Union 2023