Paul Farmer shares mental health insights at Q5 and Clarion event
Earlier this month, management consulting firm Q5 and law firm Clarion Solicitors hosted an event on mental health in the workplace. A round-up of the event’s key takeaways.
Held at Q5’s London office in Westminster, the event saw Paul Farmer – the CEO of mental health charity Mind – share some invaluable insights around mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.
Farmer is a well-known expert in the field; he co-authored 'Thriving at Work' for the government, setting out how to transform mental health in work places, and is Chair of the NHS England Independent Oversight and Advisory Group which brings together health and care leaders and experts to oversee the mental health long term plan for the NHS.
Speaking to a room of attendees, some of the key themes Farmer touched upon were:
- Mental health costs employers between £33 billion and £42 billion a year, with an annual cost to the UK economy of between £74 billion and £99 billion.
- Investing in employee’s wellbeing is not only a moral obligation but also a commercial necessity as mental health is a potential key variable which can impact on their business, both positively and negatively.
- The importance of empowering employees with the toolkit to manage their own mental health supported by the organisation's own plans and processes.
- The benefits of upskilling management with the ability to identify colleagues who may be suffering with the skills to offer signposting and support.
Farmer then went on to highlight how organisations can implement employee wellbeing initiatives within their organisation. Tips included:
- Organisations should have continuous plans in place to monitor and support their employee’s wellbeing.
- Employees can be encouraged to think about what they can personally do to help themselves optimise their own mental health; organisations should encourage their people to create their own positive mental health plan.
- Those in authority can be encouraged to talk about their own mental health journeys in order to normalise and open up conversations around mental health.
Commenting on the event, Annabel Tonge, Director at Q5, said, “Paul’s discussion around mental health in the workplace brought to life just how important people’s wellbeing is to an organisation. Organisations need to have continuous plans in place to monitor and support their employee’s mental health, not only as a moral obligation, but also to address the economic variables that can affect a business if this isn’t looked after.”
Sarah Tahamtani, Partner at Clarion Solicitors, added, “We need to put the mental health of our people in the middle of the conversations many business leaders are currently having around hybrid working, culture and work environments.”
Founded in 2009, Q5 is a UK-headquartered and award-winning consulting firm with international offices in the US, Asia and Australia. Clarion Solicitors is a law firm from Leeds that provides a range of business and private client services.
