The Benefits of Raising Money for Mental Health Charities and Promoting Wellbeing Within the Workplace
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New experiences, new people, new pressures. Multi-tasking as a minimum expectation and the constant rise of standards within the workplace is more than enough to elicit and rock confidence issues and social anxiety. So much noise, yet so many still suffer in silence with their mental state. These increasing pressures are demonstrating the importance of having wellbeing systems in place and shift of focus to people, not financial profits. Fundraising events within the workplace raise not just cash but also awareness for a particular cause. In 2017 the Public Service Union, Unison, described the workplace as having a “culture of fear, and intimidation, and anxiety”. It is stated that the “workplace needs to change, not the person”. So what are the benefits of employee wellbeing and raising money for mental health charities within the workplace? Employee satisfaction, motivation and retentionLooking at Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory employees are influenced by “motivator” factors (including recognition, personal growth, and achievement) and “hygiene” factors (including working conditions, policies and base wage/salary). The theory indicates that the hygiene factors have a greater influence on employee dissatisfaction and the motivator factors on satisfaction. This suggests that basic, psychological and self-fulfilment needs need to be met in order to meet employee job satisfaction requirements. Employee attendance and punctuality would likely remain consistent, and the productivity of employees would remain sufficient. Embracing diversity Everyone is different. Even if two close friends have been diagnosed with the same mental health condition, they will be able to sympathize with one another, but their experience will vary. This often means that one method does not fit all and different help and coping strategies need to be introduced. Introducing employees to a range of support networks identifies this diversity within the workplace. It shows employees that a company is considerate towards all individual circumstances a person may be dealing with or have dealt with, and promotes an “open-door” approach. A company is likely to receive trust and loyalty from employees as a result. Opportunities for charity fundraisingDifferent charities offer a variety of services (often similar but all are unique). The support is targeted to help all diversities of demographics such as age groups, race, gender and sexuality identifications and mental health conditions. Forms of support can include counselling and recreational activities and workshops. 42nd Street in Manchester, for example, helps people aged 11-25 providing a variety of these mental health services. The Horsfall is their exciting venue, which aims to use “creative engagement” as support for the young person's wellbeing. Trusting relationships: Awareness & understanding of each other Raising money for charity in the workplace is a great opportunity for staff to be able to mingle and get to know one another. It encourages the charity and employees to spread awareness within their workplace and promote openness amongst teams. Work motivation could increase and therefore employee retention would remain consistent or increase more too. Mental health charity Mind also offers courses such as Managing Mental Health at Work. It is particularly suitable for managers, supervisors and staff involved in “workplace wellbeing” within a company, but open to anyone who is also interested in participating. Of course, offering opportunities as such to all employees would help to encourage wellbeing maintenance throughout a company. Your turn to help by reaching outSo what actions can you take now? Mental health conditions often require the need for others to reach out to the person requiring help. This is because they may feel embarrassed to ask for help or not even understanding themselves. Very often, the person might not even feel worthy of help from passing their symptoms off as a phase and not recognizing the thoughts as long-term. Getting to know employees individually by simply communicating and praising their efforts regularly can really make a huge difference to their personal wellbeing, and their approach to work too. Ensuring that best efforts are made to help colleague wellbeing will ensure long-term dedication and productivity to a company. For more information and help regarding mental health and wellbeing, please see links and contact information for charities and organizations referenced in this article. MindWebsiteThe Mental Health Service DirectoryCall: 0300 123 3393 SamaritansWebsiteCall: 116 123 42nd StreetWebsiteCall: 0161 228 7321(Manchester-based for 11-25 year-olds)
Rachel Cox