Funded by the Welsh Government and led by two of Wales’ leading mental health charities, Adferiad Recovery and Mind Cymru, Time to Change Wales is the first national campaign established to reduce the stigma and discrimination faced by people with mental health problems in Wales.
The Time to Change Wales campaign is a social movement that aims to improve attitudes and change behaviour towards mental health in societies, ensuring equality for everyone in Wales and help eradicate distinctions between people with and without mental health problems.
The campaign aims to make a difference and end stigma and discrimination around mental health today with the Employer Pledge.
The cost of poor mental health to employers
With statistics showing one in six employees experiencing a mental health problem, with indication that stress is thought to be responsible for almost half of the lost working days across the UK, the relationship between mental health and the place of work is complicated. An article published by Deloitte of ‘Mental health and employers: refreshing the case of investment’ supports employees with understanding more about the mental health and wellbeing in today’s working market.
The Thriving at Work report found that poor mental health costs employers around £33 – £42 billion a year. This is made up of:
- Absenteeism cost – £8bn
- Presenteeism cost – £17bn to £26bn
- Staff turnover – £8bn
Total cost: £33bn to £42bn
This amounts to a cost per employee of between £1,205 and £1,560 per year. This cost is for all employees, not just those who are ill.
As mental health becomes an increasingly prominent issue in society, it has never been more important for businesses to monitor, promote and support positive mental health within the workplace.
What is the Time to Change Wales Employer Pledge?
The Employer Pledge is a public declaration that a business wants to step up and tackle mental health stigma and discrimination in the workplace and is dedicated to supporting staff wellbeing by taking realistic and appropriate action.
The Pledge isn’t a quality mark, accreditation, or endorsement. There is no test or application. You just have to commit to taking actions that are realistic and right for you that will lead to a reduction in mental health stigma and discrimination within your organisation and the wider community.
More organisations stepping up to sign the Employer Pledge means more noise is being made, helping to break the silence around mental health.
Imagine if every organisation in Wales made a public pledge to tackle stigma… that would send a powerful message that mental health is something that can be talked about, and that stigma and discrimination are not welcome.
Time to Change Wales works closely with employers to help them foster a more open culture of discussion and honesty around mental health, as well as providing practical resources and support to reduce stigma in the workplace.
And the new phase will have a particular focus on working with SMEs in areas of poverty and deprivation, as well as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employers and employees.
On opening the initiative up to SMEs, Lowri Wyn Jones, Programme Manager for Time to Change Wales, said:
“If you're one person looking after a whole team of people, it can be quite stressful. It can have a huge impact on people’s mental health.
“Through this new phase, we’re committed to opening up our initiative to smaller businesses as they also need our support to challenge the mental health stigma that may be rife in their communities.”
How do I make a start?
If you are interested in signing the Time to Change Wales Employer Pledge, you will need to create an Employers account. Here you will have access to resources which will help you sign the Pledge.
Time to Change Wales also provides resources and support to organisations who are looking to set up their action plan so they can be on their way to developing a successful plan to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination in the workplace.
Activities that Time to Change Wales encourage organisations to consider are:
- Looking at policies and culture to make sure the workplace is supportive of people with mental health problems.
- Running internal anti-stigma campaigns using TtCW materials; inviting Champions to deliver anti-stigma talks.
- Promoting the messages externally to people who use your services and the wider community through your communications channels or by running a campaign.
The Action Plan and Signing the Pledge
The action plan is a useful way of setting out organisational goals or recording achievements so far. Think of all the different roles your organisation has, and the different groups you have contact with.
How can you engage these individuals and groups in challenging stigma?
You'll find tips and examples of activities in the action plan guide, which you will have access to when you create your Employers account.
When you’re ready, send your action plan to the Time to Change Wales team and they will aim to get back to you within 14 days to agree your plan.
When your action plan is agreed, you will then sign the pledge. Stepping up to sign a pledge is a public commitment, seeing a senior representative from your organisation to publicly sign your pledge board.
Case Study – Melin Homes
One of Time to Change Wales Pledged Organisations is Melin Homes – a leading housing association which has been a TtCW Pledged Employer for many years and has felt numerous benefits as part of it.
Paula Kennedy, Chief Executive of Melin Homes, said:
“We signed the original pledge back in 2014, so Time to Change Wales has given us a framework within which we can shape and mould both our policies and processes.
“The feedback that we get from staff is that people experience mental health problems for a multitude of reasons, but it will always impact their work environment. And what we want to do is try and create an environment where those issues impact as little as possible on individuals and on the services that they deliver.”
Signing the Employer Pledge has been hugely beneficial for Melin Homes as Sharon Crockett, Director of Innovation and Culture, described:
“We've been very lucky that we've had a lot of support from our board, our chief exec. And we've got a lot of senior people within the organisation, who are more than happy to talk about their own mental wellbeing.
“We put the Time to Change Wales pledge into action at Melin by embedding mental wellbeing into absolutely everything that we do. Because it's so much part of our DNA – it's just something that happens here.
Within our network of Pledged Employers, 79% of staff feel safe sharing their mental health difficulties, with 84% of Pledged Employers saying signing up has helped drive their staff's awareness of how to access mental health support.
* Percentage statistics from 2020 Employers Survey conducted by Time to Change Wales between 28 September and 21 October 2020.
Another Melin Homes employee commented:
“I think for the staff in particular, they know that there are resources there and that there's support there for them, whatever's going on in their lives.
“A healthy workforce really is the key to delivering good services. If you take care of your staff, then they'll take care of everyone.”
Sharon added:
“So, to other organisations that are thinking of signing the pledge, crack on. Go ahead and do it. It's one of the best things that we did in terms of promoting the kind of organisation that we are.”
Putting your pledge into action – sign up today!
Now comes the hard work – putting your pledge into action! This is down to your organisation, and TtCW are always here to support.
Our Employer Champions are essential in challenging stigma and changing the way employees think and act about mental health in workplaces. They are at the forefront of the Time to Change Wales fight to make it a common place for employees to say “I’m struggling”, “I’m working too much” or “I need support” in the workplace without the fear of negative consequences.
If you're an SME in a low-income area, and/or employ members of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, take the first step today.
Get in touch with Time to Change Wales and join the movement to help end mental health stigma and discrimination in the workplace.
