The Work Retreat is about working ON your business, career, life rather than IN it. Take yourself off to a castle for a few days to rest and reset.

If you’ve read enough, let’s go!  Pay here!

Monday Club – First Monday of the month 4pm

Hi. I’m Wendy Garrett. I’ve started Monday Club because I’m just passionate about growth and development. My business is Garrett Learning and I deliver training in Leadership and Management, I’m an MHFA England instructor for the Mental Health First Aid programmes and I organise work Retreats where I take people away from their business to work ON their business rather than IN it.

Please join us on the first Monday of every month at 4pm for 45 minutes. This session will give you the space for creativity and growth within your business, life or career goals.

These sessions are for the employed and self-employed to identify what is important to you and monitor your growth. It’s worth investing 45 minutes in yourself, just once a month to catch your breath to see how amazing you really are.

Are you in?   sign up here

The first three sessions are free, from February 2024 there will be a small charge of £7.50 per session, or pay upfront and save. A 12-month subscription: £75.

You’ll be emailed your Monday progress document the week before your session or download it here:  Monday Club with Garrett Learning

See you soon!

Wendy

First things first, what’s been happening at Garrett Learning?

I’m on another level at the moment, I’m growing and developing my knowledge in all different directions. I’m on a continuous learning cycle. This month I attended a Doggy First Aid course. Meet Jeff! I had a great day fussing him! He was a fantastic canine support instructor! 

I love learning and these skills will be extremely valuable as the summer holidays are here and my family members will drop off their beloved pooches to me as they jet off on holiday. The dogs will have a mighty fine time with ‘Aunty Wendy’. I absolutely love the company of dogs and I will benefit from all the extra walks/breaks I will take throughout the day.  

Let’s talk about work-life imbalance!

Have you mastered the art of work-life balance yet? If so, please share your secrets with us! Or do you feel it is another unnecessary pressure we place upon ourselves?

There are increasing demands of life, looking after children, elderly parents, running the home, working, and managing a business. Plus we should try and fit in all the ‘good stuff’ that we’re told to do to keep us well: exercise, eat healthy, connect with others, take a break, rest, reflect and fit in a lunch break away from the desk. All of this should fit neatly into 24 hours! 

The pressure of managing a ‘work-life’ balance can feel like an impossible and unrealistic goal – what does it look like anyway? It’s going to be different for everyone. 

There is an ongoing debate on whether we are managing work-life balance. CIPD reports 60% of people surveyed working longer hours than they want to and 24% over-work by ten or more hours a week, which is causing disruption to family life and they reported that they find it hard to switch off. 

(Read the full article here: https://www.cipd.org/uk/about/press-releases/poor-work-life-balance/ ) 

We could find ourselves in a negative cycle, if we aren’t managing to switch off, rest and reflect, this could have a negative impact on our sleep. If we don’t sleep well, the knock-on effect is that it’s difficult to perform well at work. This will hugely impact your business/organisation: reduced efficiency and productivity, leading to staff absence, presenteeism, and therefore impacting the bottom line; sick pay, high turnover, the associated recruitment costs and grievances.  

There are signs of poor work-life balance: 

• Starting the working week tired and exhausted
• Feeling irritable 
• Complaints about workload and ‘not getting everything done’, but struggling to focus
• Missing personal commitments due to work
• Not prioritising medical appointments over work. For example, not attending medical appointments as ‘I’m at work’
• Frequently working overtime shifts
• Not taking annual leave

When I was 23, I found myself working 50-60 hours a week, sleeping with a notebook and pen by the side of my bed to capture my work related thoughts as I woke throughout the night. I never switched off from work. I didn’t take any annual leave in the first year as I thought it would impress my boss as I’m so ‘hard working’ and therefore be offered a promotion. The promotion didn’t come, I was completely exhausted, burnt out and ended up handing in my notice.  

Can we break the cycle? – We certainly can try!

• Manage annual leave – if you/your team haven’t taken any time off in a while, encourage them to book in a break. People often return to work refreshed and raring to go!
• The introduction of well-being plans will identify what the individual wants and needs to be physically and mentally well. Check out mind.org.uk for an Wellness Action Plan template. 
• Adapting a flexible approach to work, including hours worked and the location, allows employees to work around their personal schedules; which will reduce stress and help manage the increasing demands of life.   
• The ‘four-day working week’ (I’m a personal fan of this idea!) 

The UK Campaign is currently being trialled and hopes to improve employee well-being by compressing the hours worked into four days without affecting pay and benefits.  

At Garrett Learning we can help train your team to spot signs of poor mental health with the MHFA England Mental Health programmes. The current open course dates are as follows:

Book here: https://calendly.com/garrettlearning 

Three tips on improving work-life balance:

• Anyone that knows me, knows that I absolutely love holidays! Book some time off, change location for this break if you can. Try to switch off from work, take that all-important ‘you time’. On the last trip I went on, I left my laptop at home! Next time I will also try to leave my phone.
• Plan your working week. Schedule start and end times, including breaks. Eat lunch away from your work area.  Add in appointments. Block out time to work on tasks. Reduce the number of times you check your emails (if it’s really important they will call you). Add in your leisure time or family activities. Unplug from technology. Try some of these ideas and reflect on how it makes you feel. 
• Book in a workcation (work from another location) – take yourself away, alone or with likeminded friends/colleagues, change of scenery, and imagine a view of the sea, countryside or the mountains. This break from the normal routine will do wonders for your creativity, productivity and wellbeing, as well as collaborating and re-connecting with people! (I’m taking my own advice here as next week I’m off to Weymouth for a workcation – more on that next month!)   

Remember there is no ‘perfect work-life’ balance. It’s about how you feel and when you perform at your best without it impacting your mental and physical health. 

Want to find out more about how Garrett Learning can help you??

Garrett Learning creates welcoming, memorable, and learner-focused learning experiences to reach individual and business goals.  

Book a discovery call with us to see how Garrett Learning can offer:

• Lunch and learn workshops
• MHFA England Programmes  Open courses
• Bespoke training 
• 1:1 well-being strategy development
• Business mentoring

Chat with Wendy: Book a call

We (Wendy and her growing team!) are here for you when you need us. We are here to hear you! We are kind in nature and open to hearing everyone’s point of view. Our training and overall learning experiences are built to ensure you feel comfortable and can be yourself. 

If you want to discuss your future plans, we’d love to hear them! Get in touch!

​m: 07859 878 599

– Book a call

– Website

– Linkedin 

– Facebook

– Instagram

– Tiktok 

A moment to reflect.

And just like that we are halfway through the year!

It’s been a busy one for Wendy at Garrett Learning. Firstly, Garrett Learning has turned 3!

What a learning journey that has been in itself. 

You may not know the story of how Garrett Learning was born, wonder no more….!

Rewind to May 2020 and I was made redundant. I brought a bicycle and planned to enjoy the summer exploring the Wyre Forest. Well, until I fell off it and caused myself an injury. I was bed/sofa bound and couldn’t drive. I was bored at home with nothing to occupy my time, when an email from MHFA England popped up saying we can now deliver the courses online. A company approached Jessica Shields Coaching and I to jointly deliver a Mental Health Programme. It has been three years since we both said yes! 

Today we celebrated! I owe so much to Jess. 

The last three years have been full of growth and development – Trying to wear all sorts of hats – doing my job as a course facilitator, along with being a marketing guru, IT wiz (I’ve lost too many hours trying to get my printer to print in colour!), been a website developer, found an awesome accountability buddy and I’ve finally found a group of like-minded people so I no longer feel lonely. 

I can now say I’m happy! It’s taken some time and I’ve learned lessons along the way. 

• First lesson: If you can, pay people to do the stuff you can’t do. By the time you have figured it out, you could have paid someone and used your own time more efficiently.
• Second: Remember to reflect on the things you HAVE completed and not the things you haven’t done. 
• Third: Find your trusted sounding board of people. You’ll need them, for so many different reasons! 
• Forth: You no longer need to work ‘9-5’… don’t feel guilty about taking a longer lunch break or starting work a little later or finishing early. Take the reward. We work hard & you make the rules!
• Fifth: You might find yourself in situations and might not know the answer. You’ll figure it out! (*insert trusted sounding board here!)

I’ve loved my journey and everyone I have met along the way. Thank you!

What else is new? 

I needed to ‘stretch’ so I started a Podcast! Welcome to ‘Pause for Positivity’. 

The idea is that in just five short minutes you’ll hear some inspirational and positive messaging that may just influence you in some way. 

We’re six episodes in  – Enjoy!

Take a listen to the most recent episodes here: https://www.garrettlearning.co.uk/pause-for-positivity-podcast/ 

And if you’d like to be a guest, Book a call as Wendy loves to chat to anyone who has a positive learning experience to share. 

Get yourself to a TEDx Talk!

To continue the theme of positivity, try surrounding yourself with inspirational speakers for the day. The talks are thought-provoking. Natalie Welch spoke about the ‘labels’ that are given to us, perhaps from our family members, school report or the workplace.

Labels may include: strong, hardworking, chatterbox, doesn’t pay attention, smart, fat, lazy, weak, positive, stupid, dumb, selfish, and childish.

What do these labels mean? We may allow the labels to serve us. For example, growing up, I’ve always been told I have my ‘head screwed on’ and I’m a ‘hard worker’. Upon reflection, I find it hard to switch off, I’m always on the go and never ask for help. I’ve had to unravel these beliefs, they no longer serve me in a positive manner, I’ve let them go.

Follow this link for upcoming events. https://www.ted.com/tedx/events

And watch previous talks here: https://www.ted.com/ 

2023 is shaping up to be an incredible year. Business number two is currently in the planning stages, we look forward to sharing this with you. Watch this space! 

Want to find out more about how Garrett Learning can help you?

Garrett Learning creates welcoming, memorable, and learner-focused learning experiences to reach individual and business goals.  

Book a discovery call with us to see how Garrett Learning can offer:

• Lunch and learn workshops
• MHFA England Programmes  Open courses
• Bespoke training 
• 1:1 well-being strategy development
• Business mentoring

Chat with Wendy: Book a call

We (Wendy and her growing team!) are here for you when you need us. We are here to hear you! We are kind in nature and open to hearing everyone’s point of view. Our training and overall learning experiences are built to ensure you feel comfortable and can be yourself. 

Welcome to May’s newsletter! 

Let’s talk about learning and neurodiversity. 

I will be honest, this wasn’t the topic I initially planned to write about for the May edition, however following on from an informative webinar earlier in the week with Hayley Brackley founder of Great Minds Don’t, it has made me think about how training can be delivered in a more inclusive way for those who are neurodiverse. 

According to Bupa, one in ten people is thought to be dyslexic and three in 100 adults have ADHD, therefore I feel it’s important to raise awareness and reduce stigma and discrimination as well as equipping our people managers/leaders with tips to support their diversity within the team.  

Firstly, what is neurodiversity?

The definition from The Brain Charity states: 

“Neurodiversity is the concept that brain differences are natural variations. Some people’s brains simply work in a different way.

For at least 20% of the adult population in the UK, these differences mean they may be diagnosed with

neurological conditions including autism, dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)”.

What did I learn this week?  

Here are the five takeaways on how to improve the inclusivity of neurodivergent people in a learning environment:   

Tip one: Presentations. Consider the colour of your text and background. Black text on a light grey background for PowerPoint will reduce the colour contrast to help them focus on the slide. If delivering virtually, use black text on a white background as the user can adjust their own settings on the device to suit individual learning preferences, for example; changing the colour of their screen display.

Tip two: Fonts. Consider the font used, swirly (swirly) fonts look nice but can be difficult to read. Feel free to use those if it’s important to you and your brand messaging, however it’s suggested to keep swirly fonts for titles, headers or single words and not for sentences. 

Tip three: Ice-breaker activities. Think about the ice-breakers you use. For example, asking someone to state ‘two truths and one lie’ can be difficult for those who are neurodiverse. A suggested ice-breaker would include sharing factual information – describing something that brings them happiness, makes them smile or sharing something about their background or a defining moment.

Tip four: Eye contact. People who are neurodivergent can find eye contact awkward and overwhelming. Neurodivergent people may not engage in eye contact, this should not be forced. Typically, educators are taught that eye contact demonstrates a person’s understanding and engagement with the content being delivered, however this is not always the case. The learner may be able to listen or watch, but not both together.

Tip Five: Time. Many neurodiverse people struggle with time management as time can be perceived to have sped up or slowed down. When setting times for the session, breaks or activities, be mindful that neurodiverse people may be early or late depending on their perspective of time. 

Want to find out more?

Understand neurodiverse conditions via the NHS website

A manager’s guide to supporting neurodiversity in the workplace: BUPA

We hope this summary was useful. 

Can Garrett Learning help you?

Garrett Learning creates welcoming, memorable, and learner-focused learning experiences to reach individual and business goals.  

Book a discovery call with us to see what Garrett Learning can offer:

• Lunch and learn workshops
• MHFA England Programmes  Open courses
• Bespoke training 
• 1:1 well-being strategy development
• Mentoring

Chat with Wendy: Book a call

We (Wendy and her growing team!) are here for you when you need us. We are here to hear you! We are kind in nature and open to hearing everyone’s point of view. Our training and overall learning experiences are built to ensure you feel comfortable and can be yourself. 

If you want to discuss your future plans, I’d love to hear them! Get in touch!

​m: 07859 878 599

– Book a call

– Website

– Linkedin 

– Facebook

– Instagram

– Tiktok

Poor mental health is the main cause of long-term absence The Times Health Commission conducted a survey with the consultancy firm PwC and they discovered that mental illness is the main cause of long-term absence.

CIPD states ‘Long-term absence is usually defined as lasting at least four weeks and can be challenging to manage; the longer someone is off sick, the harder it can be for them to return’.

We’ve seen a shift in employees taking time off for physical illnesses to poor mental health, anxiety and depression are the two main causes of poor mental health absence.

More than half of the employees surveyed said their mental health had worsened since the pandemic and employees are asking for work-related benefits. There was an increase of 64% in requests for counseling compared to a 19% rise in requests for gym memberships. The shift in well-being and what is needed to support the mental health of our employees is changing.

Impact of doing nothing: 

• People won’t feel supported.
• High-stress levels.
• Absenteeism and presenteeism have a detrimental impact on productivity, efficiency, accidents, and errors, therefore affecting your bottom line.

Work out the financial cost of poor employee health within your organisation with this tool that has been created by the UK Government  Workplace Wellbeing Tool.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 states we have a duty of care for the health and well-being of our employees and under the Equality Act 2010, employers are required to support employees with disabilities and health conditions. The leaders of our organisation can manage this by:

• Implement/update your well-being strategy and well-being policy.
• Assess the level of stress in your organisation by using the HSE Stress Risk Assessment
• Assisting the employee’s mental well-being and financial security – providing job security and autonomy in their role.
• Training and guidance for leaders – how to spot early warning signs, learn how to approach the conversation and know how and when to signpost for support.
• Prevent isolation by keeping in touch when team members are off work. Establish who you should contact and how often.
• If applicable, involve HR, Occupational Health, and line managers.
• Confirm what the employee will be paid, for example, if they will receive sick pay.

Create absence policies that will cover:

• Holiday
• Maternity, paternity, adoption, and parental health.
• Time off for medical or hospital appointments.
• Sickness.
• Time off for the needs of their dependents.
• Time off for bereavement.
• Clarity on extreme weather or travel disruption is included as an authorised absence.

Find out more here: ACAS. The absence policy should also include the ‘Return to work’ process.

Return to work: 

A supportive return-to-work informal chat should establish if the employee is ready to return to work and what support is required. This is sometimes seen as a ‘tick box’ exercise. If this is the case, a great opportunity to connect with the employee is being missed. During this chat, you can update the employee on what has been going on in the organisation whilst they have been away, understand the employee’s needs further, and agree on a plan going forward.

People managers may have a tendency to try and ‘fix the problem’, however, a persons poor mental health it is not for us to solutionise. We can ask the employee what would be helpful for them to return to work, some considerations may include:

• Enabling flexible or hybrid working or phased return to work.
• Establish what ongoing support the employee requires.
• Confidentiality is important, establish what the employee would like to keep confidential about their absence and what they would like the other employees to know about their absence.
• Agree on reasonable adjustments- consider any recommendations that have been provided by the employee’s doctor.

Read more here:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/mental-health-is-main-cause-of-long-term-absence-say-employers-times-health-commission-92dp0sfnq

Want some help?

Garrett Learning creates welcoming, memorable, and learner-focused learning experiences to reach individual and business goals.  Book a discovery call with us to see how Garrett Learning ( www.garrettlearning.co.uk ) can help:

• Lunch and learn workshops
• MHFA England Programmes  Open courses
• Bespoke training
• 1:1 well-being strategy development
• Mentoring

We (Wendy and her growing team!) are here for you when you need us. We are here to hear you! We are kind in nature and open to hearing everyone’s point of view. Our training and overall learning experiences are built to ensure you feel comfortable  

If you want to discuss your future plans, I’d love to hear them! Get in touch!

​m: 07859 878 599

w: www.GarrettLearning.co.uk

l: www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-garrett-7522bb50/

f: www.facebook.com/GarrettLearning

i: www.instagram.com/garrettlearning

t: www.tiktok.com/@garrettlearning

This ‘How to’ blog will help you understand how you can support your team with their mental health and well-being in the workplace.  According to Mind:

56% of employers said they would like to do more to improve staff wellbeing but don’t feel they have the right training or guidance’

Let’s begin.  

What is mental health?

We all have mental health; we have good mental health and can experience poor mental health. It’s changeable, it’s on a continuum.  According to the Health and Safety Executive:

‘one in four people in the UK will have a mental health problem at some point. Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems’

Mental health problems are common. An individual’s mental health could be triggered by life events such as:

• Relationship breakdown
• Bereavement
• Financial pressures
• Homelessness
• Social isolation
• Long-term health conditions
• Experienced abuse, domestic violence, traumas, neglect
• Becoming a carer
• Retirement
• Workplace-related stress such as workload, shift patterns, working from home, burnout, change of job, new manager, deadlines, job security/redundancy, and being short staffed.
• Misusing alcohol and drugs.

Positive life events can be stressful: getting married, moving house, going on holiday or the birth of a child.

We may experience good days and bad days for various reasons. Our mental health can be affected by day-to-day events too, such as the car that cuts us up, poor internet connection or perhaps our manager has given us another piece of work to add to our every growing to do list. Everyone is different and we all deal with things in our individual way. It’s important to recognise that what causes distress to one person may not affect another person in the same way.

Mental health is how we think, feel and behave. It’s closely linked to our physical health too. There is no health without mental health. As leaders in our organisations, there are some steps we can take to support our team members.

In 2019, Business in the Community (BITC) researched the reasons to why 4000 people experienced work-related mental health problems. Over 50% of people surveyed said it was due to the pressure and targets set upon them.

Source: Mental Health at Work 2019: Time to Take Ownership report (3)

How to: Spots the signs of poor mental health.

According to www.mind.org.uk:

‘more than one in five staff members have called in sick to avoid work when asked how workplace stress has affected them’

The common mental health conditions in the workplace are anxiety and depression. Stress is not a mental health condition however stress can affect our mental health.

What is depression?

It’s a feeling of low mood that affects everyday life and can lasts for a long time. It can make individuals feel unmotivated, worthless, guilty, hopeless exhausted and stop partaking in activities that were once enjoyed. Depression will not stop individuals living their life, however it will make everything harder to do. At its worst, depression can make people feel suicidal.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a normal feeling – it’s the feeling we get when we ride a rollercoaster, when we attend a job interview, take an exam or how we feel when we are worried, afraid or scared.

Feelings of anxiety are overwhelming when they last for a long time, it can change our thoughts, attitude and behaviour.

Common causes of anxiety: 

• Overthinking
• Over-achieving
• Low self-esteem
• Pessimistic thinking
•  Traumatic events
• New experiences

What causes one person to be anxious, will be completely different for another person.

Signs in people experiencing poor mental health at work. Some might be subtler than others:

• A change in mood, behaviour, concentration levels, sleeping/eating habits and neglecting themselves.
• Socially withdrawing/ not wanting to do things they usually like, e.g. not attending work social events/eating lunch together.
• Not answering emails, missing deadlines, having difficulty making decisions, and not contributing to meetings.
• Absenteeism/presenteeism.
• Feeling guilty for taking a break/annual leave.
• Overwhelming fear for no reason, heart racing or difficulty breathing.
• Severe, out of control risk-taking behaviour (including self-harm).
• Intense worries or fears get in the way of everyday activities.
• Significant weight loss/gain.

Noticing these changes in our team members should prompt us that it’s time to talk.

How to: Approach the conversation about mental health.

A common misconception is that ‘it’s strange and unhelpful to talk about your mental health’ (5). The opposite is true. We all have mental health and talking about it can help ourselves and others. However, we shouldn’t force people to talk if they don’t want to, wtw-healthbenifits.co.uk, state: 

‘30% of staff disagreed with the statement ‘I would feel able to talk openly with my line manager if I was feeling stressed’ 

There are many concerns or barriers to why someone might not want to talk to their line manager:

• Worried about losing their job / securing a promotion
• It might not feel like a safe space to talk
• Confidentiality/trust
• Discrimination
• Feeling judged
• It’s difficult for them to talk right now

Once a quiet and private place is found, the conversation starter questions could be asked:

• How are you feeling today?
• Is there anything you want to share with me that is on your mind or worrying you?
• How long have you felt unwell?
• I’ve noticed recently that you’ve ***taken a few days off/missed a few deadlines/not been your usual self recently***, is there anything you’d like to talk about?
• Ask them how you can help them.

We shouldn’t force people to talk if they don’t want to. We also need to remember we’re not the professionals to deal with or cope with what someone shares with us. If they do open up, listening is one of the most important skills.

You’d think we’d be good at listening! However, how many times do we share a concern and someone can relate to it so they start talking about their experience? It happens all the time!

For example: Kiara asks: ‘What’s up with you today Gary?’

Gary: ‘I’ve got toothache’

Kiara: ‘Of yes, I remember when my wisdom teeth were coming through, absolute agony! Get yourself to the dentist and all will be ok’.

What happened there? Kiara actually doesn’t know how Gary is feeling, Kiara has assumed Gary is feeling the same as her when she had a toothache and silver lined the response. We like to make people feel better.

If we re-run that conversation it could have a different outcome:

Kiara asks: ‘What’s up with you today Gary?’

Gary: ‘I’ve got a bad toothache’

Kiara: ‘Sorry to hear this. How long has it been affecting you?

Gary: ‘The past couple of weeks’

Kiara: ‘Have you been to the dentist?’

Gary: ‘No’

Kiara: ’Oh okay, a couple of weeks is a long time with toothache, have you got an appointment?’

Gary: ‘No, I’ve not had the chance to book one’

Kiara: ‘Oh why not?’

Gary:  ‘Because my mum has been ill and I’ve been looking after her’

In this situation, Kiara, discovers that Gary has got a lot more going on than toothache.  She’s asked further questions and got to the root of the problem (excuse the pun)!

Kiara, can then continue the discussion to chat to Gary and provide appropriate support.  This is a much more supportive approach as it enables Gary to continue the conversation and share his situation, thoughts and feelings, and he will feel listened to.

We only remember between 25-50% of what we hear. We can improve our active listening skills by:

• Keep the conversation focused on them
• Being present and not becoming distracted.
• Not allowing ourselves to get bored or lose focus.
• Use body language to acknowledge you’re listening: Nod, eye contact, smile, occasional questions or comments.
• Defer our own judgement.
• Be patient.

How to: Offer support and guidance.

We may not understand or know what causes someone to experience poor mental health, however talking about it and signposting people to professional help and support is vital for recovery. We also have a legal obligation to our staff as well. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974:

Employers have a ‘duty of care’. This means they must do all they reasonably can to support their employees’ health, safety and well-being.

Mental health conditions can lead to a disability, and a disability is a protected, characteristic.  Our legal obligation to our staff who have a disability, under the Equality Act 2010:

‘”must not be discriminated against because of their disability and must make reasonable adjustments”

We need to equip our leaders, manager and team with the skills to help support themselves and others. MHFA (Mental Health First Aid) England mission is to train one in ten people in mental health awareness and skills.

The training programmes enable individuals to support themselves and others, to empower people to notice the signs of poor mental health, encourage conversations to take place and break down the barriers and stigma that surround mental health.

#Wellbeing Wendy, provides MHFA England programmes including:

MHFA Aware – A half-day mental health awareness programme that provides a helpful, practical approach to developing understanding.

MHFA One Day Champion – This programme provides awareness of common mental health conditions and understand what support is available to build a mentally healthy workplace.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFAider®) – The two-day programme enables people to develop practical skills to spot the signs of mental health issues and support the person in distress.

Mental Health Guidance for Leaders – A three-hour session to improve understanding of mental health and enables a creative space for the leaders to discover practical approaches in managing mental health at work.

We can support our team members in the workplace by:

• Promote well-being, inclusion, equality and fairness
• Promote employee wellbeing
• Create a culture of respect and dignity
• Update policies with challenging issues such as bereavement, suicide and domestic abuse.
• Ensure your team have a manageable workload /ability to say no
• Complete a stress risk assessment.
• Utilise workplace supports
• Meaningful back-to-work interviews
• Make reasonable adjustments
• Monitor mental health
• Implement the Wellness Action Plan (WAP)

How to: Understand boundaries.

As leaders of our organisation, we need to understand our personal and professional boundaries. Boundaries exist to protect people. As a leader, people may come to us with problems and we try and fix them. However, we’re not the professionals.

If a team member has poor mental health, we can offer support and information, however the individual needs to follow up with a professional service. We are not qualified to offer specific advice to solve their problems for them.

For example, if a team member breaks their arm, the manager will allow time off for recovery, however the manager will not apply the plaster cast.

As leaders we need to know our own limits, on what we can do to support others. Healthy workplace relationships need to be managed. We need to signpost our team members to the professionals so they can get the help and support they require.

Where can we signpost people to:

• HR & follow your internal policies and procedures
• Mental Health First Aider or Champion
• GP/ professional supports
• Improving Access to Psychological Therapy(IAPT)
•  Self-referral at NHS Talking Therapies
• Hub of Hope app to search for local professional services

Other organisations/charities:

• Mind A to Z of mental health https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/a-z-mental-health/
• Samaritans 116123
• Text SHOUT to 85258
• Papyrus – prevention of suicide in young people – Hopeline 0800 068 4141

How to: Encourage well-being approaches at work.

We can promote and encourage individuals to focus on their well-being at work. There are so many services, products, and techniques to assist ourselves and others at work.

• Employee assistance program (EPA)
• Utilizing private medical insurance
• NHS 5 steps to mental well-being (Connect, Active, Learn, Give, be present)
• Cycle to work scheme
• Practice mindfulness (apps, Meditate, creating something, breathing, yoga)
• Practice gratitude
• Goal setting – the power of three. Identify three goals to achieve for the day

Create a self-management plan – Identity what keeps you well (daily, weekly, occasionally). Identify how you manage life’s ups and downs (what helps, what is unhelpful). Plan how you’d best handle new situations. Identify what helps you get your life back in balance after a situation.

• Improve exercise/sleep.
• Meet with family/friends.
• Online group chats/video calling/ games/Podcasts.
• Do more things that you enjoy – make a list of these!
• Learn something new.
• Schedule in time for you.

Supporting people with poor mental health can at times be shocking and stressful. We need to look after ourselves too. It’s ok to say no if you’re struggling and ask someone else to help support the individual. We need to take time for ourselves. You can’t pour from an empty cup.

For further information or to connect with #Wellbeing Wendy, click here.

Give yourself permission to take some time away from work.

Growing up, I always thought that the best way to maximise your career would be to work long hours and put all your energy into your career. As my tenth year in Learning & Development approached, I’d been thinking about taking a break for some time. I made a promise to myself to take a sabbatical. It also coincided with my 40th birthday too which strengthened my cause for the break!

I was concerned that I’m self-employed and wondered if I’d have a job to come back to. I did all I could to limit the impact on the business. I contacted clients to let them know I would be away from the business, and asked a trusted associate to be listed on my out of office.

I packed my rucksack and my husband and I headed across the world for an eight week adventure travelling Australia in campervans, hostels, and the occasional hotel to enjoy a hot bath! It was an incredible trip.

I’ve been back home for three weeks and I feel AMAZING! My batteries are fully recharged. I’m feeling refreshed, have a fresh mindset and have returned to work with renewed enthusiasm, creativity and passion.

You don’t have to take a long break from your career to refresh yourself though. Allow yourself a few days off to recharge or a change of scenery for a week or two?

Perhaps you could:

• Explore a new place
• Spend time with family and friends
• Try something new
• Get involved with a hobby or sport
• Visit a new restaurant or cafe
• Go on a road trip (highly recommended!)
• Find a way to relax, unwind and recharge  

If you want to take a sabbatical to clear your head and freshen up, here are some tips for making it work:

1. Plan ahead – Make sure you’re ready for a long break from work by planning ahead. Consider how much leave you’ll need and how much work needs to get done before you go on sabbatical. This will help you figure out what arrangements need to be made for when your leave begins and ends.

2. Check your contract – If you have an employment contract with an employer, it may stipulate that employees must give notice before taking extended time off work (such as six months). If this is the case, speak with your manager and HR department about whether they will accept shorter notice periods or not so that you can plan accordingly and avoid any conflict while away.

Upon your return from leave you will be refreshed, creative and enthusiastic! You will return with a new perspective. You will be more productive. You will be more focused and driven. You will have a better work/life balance.

Book a discovery call with us to see how Garrett Learning can partner with you and your organisation to enable the team to reach their full potential.

  https://calendly.com/garrettlearning/cuppa-and-chat-with-wendy

Here’s my story as to why I become an accredited Mental Health First Aid England (MHFA) Instructor.