Asda has introduced a new dedicated Mental Health policy to support staff and provide guidance for line managers.
Mental ill health costs British business £26 billion a year, and is a growing issue. Photo credit: Fotolia
The new framework will give managers more in-depth and practical guidance to help support colleagues in the modern day workplace.
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Kate Fisher, Senior Director of Talent, Capability & Leadership, at Asda said: “At Asda, our open culture is key to changing the conversation around mental health. We have created a working environment where we take care of our colleagues, which are now supported even further by the Hub and our new mental health policy.
“Our colleagues – all 162,000 of them – are at the heart of everything we do. We couldn’t run our business without them so it’s vital that we are taking care of their health and wellbeing.”
Asda is also supporting the ‘Healthy Minds for a Thriving City’ taking place today, which will bring together senior decision makers from across the city to provide the opportunity for an open conversation about mental health.
Keynote speakers include Clarke Carlisle, former QPR and Burnley defender, and Alastair Campbell, former Political Communications Director, who will speak on their experience of battling with depression and the importance for social change. The event also aims to remove the culture of stigma around health issues in the workplace.
Mental ill health costs British business £26 billion a year.
Adsa’s new Mental Health policy follows the results of a recent study, which found that found that employers across the UK are failing to provide adequate support to employees or equip managers with the skills to help them.
The report published by the charity Business in the Community interviewed 20,000 employees nationwide and found more than three quarters of workers aged 16 to 64 have experienced symptoms of poor mental health. Nearly two thirds of those with mental health problems believe work was a contributing factor.
Fisher added: “The Healthy Minds for a Thriving City event really compliments what we are doing as a business and we were keen to get involved and offer our support to a really important conversation that the business community should be having.”
