Newsletter 97 – includes an Ask the Expert on how organisations can support staff wellbeing

November 30, 2018
Posted by Amanda Furness

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This month, we are celebrating 20 years in business. The 20th anniversary edition of In Equilibrium includes:

• In Equilibrium News – we look back over the high’s and low’s of our double decade
• A Stress & Wellbeing Tip – our latest tip offers some suggestions for those of us who are affected by the lack of daylight during the winter months
• Ask the Expert – looks at how an organisation can support staff to increase their wellbeing
• Links to relevant external resources and articles that may be of interest
• And Finally – a heartwarming story or what it’s like to prevent a suicide

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In Equilibrium News

20 YEARS ON … In Equilibrium’s journey of resilience
We look back over the past 20 years from when the company started in Edinburgh in 1998 to where we are now and will let you decide if we present a case study in resilience!

NEW TRAINER – Brian Glass
We’re delighted to welcome Brian to the In Equilibrium team. He is a knowledgeable trainer who’s open, honest talk enhances the quality of each course he delivers. Brian is fully qualified and experienced in delivering Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid and the Choose Life Suicide Prevention courses.

NEW TESTIMONIAL – Frogmore, Real Estate Fund Manager
“By the end of the session we had all been challenged to double check pre-programmed thinking and to be more self-aware. We did have a chuckle or two along the way.”
Delighted to receive this feedback from the Chief Executive of Frogmore. You can see it and other customer testimonials by clicking on the title.

NEW BLOG ARTICLES

Statistics and evidence highlight why sexual harassment awareness training is essential in certain sectors

Time may be of the essence but claims of BHD can’t be ignored

Inclusiveness in the workplace – follow a path

Stress and Wellbeing Tip

If you’re struggling with the current lack of sunlight, our latest tip rounds up some of the more well-known suggestions, as well as a few less common ideas, to help boost mood and energy through the winter months ahead.

Read our latest tip

Read our tips archive

Ask the Expert

The Question

“I read recently that for the first time in the year 2017/18, stress, depression or anxiety accounted for over half of all the working days lost in the UK to ill health. Can you suggest some ways an organisation can support staff to increase their wellbeing and reduce sickness absences due to these sources?”

Trainer, Dot Gourlay, outlines both reactive and proactive ways that organisations can support their workforce and increase awareness.

Read Dot’s answer here

Read our Ask the Expert archive

Amanda’s Column

The office team’s away day this year may have taken place months later than originally planned but the unusual activity definitely made its mark on all who attended … read on to find out what we got up to.

Read Amanda’s column

The archive of Amanda’s column is available here

Resources

View the resources featured in this edition:
Workplace Stress: fulfilling your responsibilities as an employer – a toolkit of free resources from the Mental Health at Work charity
People Managers’ Guide to Mental Health – the CIPD have recently revised and updated their good practice guide
Health and Safety at Work – summary statistics for Britain 2018 from the Health & Safety Executive
Unconscious Bias Training: an assessment of the evidence for effectiveness
The Gender Agenda: World Health Organisation Europe’s new men’s health strategy

Quotations

“When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves.”
Victor E. Frankl, Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist and a Holocaust survivor, 1905 -1997

“Weather forecast for tonight: dark.”
George Carlin, American Comedian, 1937 – 2008

News from the Outside

A selection of external articles which may be of interest:

• This year’s standout equality cases and their impact on employers
• How to cope with secondhand stress
• My company implemented a 5-hour workday and the results have been astounding
• Four steps for employers to tackle mental ill-health at work
• Do I need a mental health sick day – and how do I ask for one?

…and finally …

What is it like to prevent a suicide?
You’ll know we like to finish with a good news story and what better for our 20th anniversary edition, and the final newsletter of another year, than to leave you with a story about a dog walker preventing a young man’s suicide?
It warmed our hearts and, once again, shows how life changing a timeous intervention can be … for both parties.

Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter.  We are always delighted to hear from our readers, so if you would like to share your comments or suggestions with us, please don’t hesitate to contact us at: [email protected].