The best wellbeing resources for charities

According to data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the UK lost 17 million working days in 2021/22 to work-related stress, depression, or anxiety. There were an estimated 914,000 employees with work-related mental health issues.

 

Speaking to HR Magazine, Simon Blake, CEO of Mental Health First Aid England, said, “As a nation, we are on a journey to develop our understanding of mental health. We must use that understanding to create healthier workplaces and communities so we can also seek and signpost to mental health support when we need it.”

 

Charities need to invest in the mental health and wellbeing of their staff, not just because it’s the right thing to do but also because it makes business sense. Here are six, mostly free, resources on wellbeing and mental health for charity professionals.

 

 

Mental Health First Aider training

 

Although it’s not a legal requirement, most offices have staff trained in first aid so that they can assist colleagues if they become physically unwell or injure themselves in the office. Mental health is just as important as physical health so why not consider Mental Health First Aiders?

 

Mental Health First Aiders are trained to spot signs of people experiencing poor mental health, be confident to then start a conversation and signpost them to appropriate support.

 

Charities who offer Mental Health First Aid training are Mental Health First Aid England and St John Ambulance.

 

 

Online Wellbeing in the Workplace training

 

Wellbeing in the Workplace is a free online learning programme, which brings Samaritans’ listening and wellbeing expertise into the workplace.

It has been developed with the Lord Mayor’s Appeal and PwC and teaches employees the skills to look after their emotional health and look out for others, before they reach crisis point.

 

Of those who completed the training in 2019, 97% say they now know how to recognise emotional distress in others and 94% feel more confident to approach someone who is struggling with their mental health.

 

 

Wellbeing Guide for Comms Professionals

 

The Wellbeing Guide for Comms Professionals, from CharityComms, is packed full of case studies, tools and frameworks to help look after your own wellbeing and that of your colleagues.

 

It’s a living guide, which is updated regularly to reflect the world we live in. For example, there is a section on wellbeing in a hybrid world.

 

Whilst it’s aimed at those working in communications, it’s really for anyone in the charity sector.

 

 

Wellness Action Plan

 

The Wellness Action Plan (WAP) is a free resource from Mind, the mental health charity, to help you manage your mental health at work. It’s inspired by Mary Ellen Copeland’s Wellness Recovery Action Plan® (WRAP®), which is an evidence-based system used globally to help people manage their mental health.

 

It’s a personal, practical tool to help people better understand what keeps them well at work, what causes them to become unwell and how to address and manage a mental health problem in the workplace.

 

A WAP can be just for yourself, to use as a self-reflection tool, or it can be shared with your manager. Sharing your WAP helps open a dialogue with your manager and will help them to identify when you may need support with your mental health and wellbeing.

 

 

Manual of me

 

A ‘manual of me’ is a bit like a user manual. It’s designed to help people in teams get to know each other better and to understand how people like to work.

 

In our current hybrid ways of working, or for those who always work remotely, there isn’t the opportunity to really get to know colleagues. Some people, for example, love a video call whereas others may prefer email. An unexpected call on Teams may cause anxiety for some, whereas others like to be able to just call whenever they need when they have a quick question.

 

Becky Colley wrote a blog post for CharityComms on how she’s used the ‘manual of me’ in three different workplaces and how it helped strengthen her relationships with colleagues. Download a free ‘manual of me’ template here.

 

 

Wellbeing podcast episodes

 

There are a number of sector podcasts with wellbeing episodes. CharityComms has a series of wellbeing episodes featuring charities such as Scouts, Blood Cancer UK, Impetus and Mental Health First Aid England.

 

In their Starts at the Top podcast, Zoe Amar and Paul Thomas talk to workplace culture expert and author Bruce Daisley about why leaders need to rethink resilience.

 

Julia Campbell talks to Kirsty Marrins about social media and mental health in her Nonprofit Nation podcast. The episode addresses how working in social media can take a toll on wellbeing and offers tips on how to look after your mental health and wellbeing as well as your team.