Social Inclusion and mainstream arise out of a history and out of a history of ideas.
Government think-tanks in the late 1990s and early 2000s had a key role in developing current thinking and practice around social inclusion. The envisaging of 'social domains' relevant to people's lives arises from these seminal ideas. The role of mainstream bridge builder is also developed around the concept of mainstream as a pathway for mental health recovery.
Social Inclusion goes back even further. A single act of defiance by Rosa Parks in 1955 in Alabama Mississippi. A black woman refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white person, thereby defying the segregration laws. A key moment that lies at the heart of the civil rights movement, not just for the United States but for equality and social inclusion everywhere.
Equal opportunities, diversity, social inclusion and fairness are now commonplaces, enshrined in the way we strive to live and work today.
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Sunday, 11 July 2010
How Social Inclusion is good for business
Social Inclusion - so good for business
The business case for mental health awareness is evidenced by the increasing numbers of employers who are commissioning mental health awareness trainings for their workforce. Employers want trainings which enable their staff to understand more about common mental health conditions. Understanding mental health means that staff can work better with clients and customers. It also allows staff to feel less isolated about personal issues around health and well-being.
Mental health awareness provides the opportunity for employers and employees to find out more about the law as it relates to employment and mental health.
Enlightened employers will seek to develop a workforce team which is happy rather than unhappy, fulfilled rather than excluded. Courses such as MHFA (Mental Health First Aid) show that attendees often feel that one of the benefits of the training in that it allows for a safe space. A safe space where individuals can share feelings about their personal well-being in addition to learning about the broader aspects of mental health conditions and the appropriate interventions.
In addition to mental health, it makes solid sense for businesses to incorporate awareness of social inclusion and mainstream. Returning to or accessing mainstream living is now a key part of the care pathway for those diagnosed with 'severe and enduring' mental health diagnoses. It is equally important for people who may be experiencing conditions such as anxiety, phobia or stress at work.
Both groups - those in primary and secondary care - are being signposted to mainstream life rather than to special settings as a central plank of the recovery process. The implications for any service provider - and that includes businesses - are crucial. Businesses and services are at the receiving end of mainstream.
Clients in recovery are choosing to access their personal goals through a diverse range of outlets. These could range from faith venues to volunteer bureaus, from retail outlets to sports centres, from recording studios to adult education colleges, from libraries to personal counselors, from training venues to department stores.
For businesses, it's not just one in four of their staff who may be experiencing mental health challenges, it's also one in four of their clients, customers and service consumers. Mental health challenges will also have an impact on one in three families. Disclosed or undisclosed, it's clear that mental health and well-being lie at the heart of our transactions and interactions.
The business case for mental health awareness is evidenced by the increasing numbers of employers who are commissioning mental health awareness trainings for their workforce. Employers want trainings which enable their staff to understand more about common mental health conditions. Understanding mental health means that staff can work better with clients and customers. It also allows staff to feel less isolated about personal issues around health and well-being.
Mental health awareness provides the opportunity for employers and employees to find out more about the law as it relates to employment and mental health.
Enlightened employers will seek to develop a workforce team which is happy rather than unhappy, fulfilled rather than excluded. Courses such as MHFA (Mental Health First Aid) show that attendees often feel that one of the benefits of the training in that it allows for a safe space. A safe space where individuals can share feelings about their personal well-being in addition to learning about the broader aspects of mental health conditions and the appropriate interventions.
In addition to mental health, it makes solid sense for businesses to incorporate awareness of social inclusion and mainstream. Returning to or accessing mainstream living is now a key part of the care pathway for those diagnosed with 'severe and enduring' mental health diagnoses. It is equally important for people who may be experiencing conditions such as anxiety, phobia or stress at work.
Both groups - those in primary and secondary care - are being signposted to mainstream life rather than to special settings as a central plank of the recovery process. The implications for any service provider - and that includes businesses - are crucial. Businesses and services are at the receiving end of mainstream.
Clients in recovery are choosing to access their personal goals through a diverse range of outlets. These could range from faith venues to volunteer bureaus, from retail outlets to sports centres, from recording studios to adult education colleges, from libraries to personal counselors, from training venues to department stores.
For businesses, it's not just one in four of their staff who may be experiencing mental health challenges, it's also one in four of their clients, customers and service consumers. Mental health challenges will also have an impact on one in three families. Disclosed or undisclosed, it's clear that mental health and well-being lie at the heart of our transactions and interactions.
Saturday, 3 July 2010
'Taking Care of Business' - Mind campaign
Mind’s ‘Taking care of Business’ campaign highlights the initiatives being taken by many employers around issues of mental health at work.
Supported by business ‘dragon’ Duncan Bannatyne, the campaign shows that employers are becoming aware of the need to address and support good mental health in the workplace.
The Mind campaign underlines the message that the promotion of good mental health helps employers ‘increase productivity, improve staff performance and save thousands of pounds’.
Mind also hosts a series of follow-up programmes designed to actively encourage good mental health in the workplace.
Some of the companies who have signed up to support the Mind campaign include EDF energy, BT, Hewitt Consultancy, AXA and police and security services. James Kenrick at Hewitt Associates helped set up an Employee Assistance programme allowing staff access to counselling services where appropriate.
Hewitt also initiated a staff health audit which identified stress, anxiety and depression as ‘real issues within the organisation’. James Kenrick states that:
‘after the health audit we sourced a stress vocational rehabilitation service, which has a vocational focus and is staffed by psychologists. Employees who have been absent for 10 days or more are referred for an initial assessment, and recommended the most appropriate treatment plan. We have found that this service, along with early intervention, has greatly reduced the days lost through stress-related absence and stopped stress-related disability altogether’.
Proactive management of mental health in the workplace has allowed Hewitt Associates to save ‘nearly £400’ per employee. More importantly, as Kenrick states:
‘it's the intangible elements that are most rewarding. The feedback from staff who have been helped to recover from difficult circumstances has been exceptional’.
EDF Energy is a major electricity provider. A workplace audit showed that the company was losing around £1.4m in productivity each year as a result of mental ill health among its employees. As part of an Employee Support Programme the company offered psychological support (cognitive behavioural therapy) to employees and trained over 1,000 managers to recognise psychological ill health among staff and to minimise its effects. This resulted in an improvement in productivity which saved the organisation approximately £228,000 per year. Job satisfaction also rose from 36 to 68% (Business in the Community, 2009).
Supported by business ‘dragon’ Duncan Bannatyne, the campaign shows that employers are becoming aware of the need to address and support good mental health in the workplace.
The Mind campaign underlines the message that the promotion of good mental health helps employers ‘increase productivity, improve staff performance and save thousands of pounds’.
Mind also hosts a series of follow-up programmes designed to actively encourage good mental health in the workplace.
Some of the companies who have signed up to support the Mind campaign include EDF energy, BT, Hewitt Consultancy, AXA and police and security services. James Kenrick at Hewitt Associates helped set up an Employee Assistance programme allowing staff access to counselling services where appropriate.
Hewitt also initiated a staff health audit which identified stress, anxiety and depression as ‘real issues within the organisation’. James Kenrick states that:
‘after the health audit we sourced a stress vocational rehabilitation service, which has a vocational focus and is staffed by psychologists. Employees who have been absent for 10 days or more are referred for an initial assessment, and recommended the most appropriate treatment plan. We have found that this service, along with early intervention, has greatly reduced the days lost through stress-related absence and stopped stress-related disability altogether’.
Proactive management of mental health in the workplace has allowed Hewitt Associates to save ‘nearly £400’ per employee. More importantly, as Kenrick states:
‘it's the intangible elements that are most rewarding. The feedback from staff who have been helped to recover from difficult circumstances has been exceptional’.
EDF Energy is a major electricity provider. A workplace audit showed that the company was losing around £1.4m in productivity each year as a result of mental ill health among its employees. As part of an Employee Support Programme the company offered psychological support (cognitive behavioural therapy) to employees and trained over 1,000 managers to recognise psychological ill health among staff and to minimise its effects. This resulted in an improvement in productivity which saved the organisation approximately £228,000 per year. Job satisfaction also rose from 36 to 68% (Business in the Community, 2009).
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
'Taking Care of Business' - Mind campaign
Mind’s ‘Taking care of Business’ campaign highlights the initiatives being taken by many employers around issues of mental health at work.
Supported by business ‘dragon’ Duncan Bannatyne, the campaign shows that employers are becoming aware of the need to address and support good mental health in the workplace.
The Mind campaign underlines the message that the promotion of good mental health helps employers ‘increase productivity, improve staff performance and save thousands of pounds’.
Mind also hosts a series of follow-up programmes designed to actively encourage good mental health in the workplace.
Some of the companies who have signed up to support the Mind campaign include EDF energy, BT, Hewitt Consultancy, AXA and police and security services. James Kenrick at Hewitt Associates helped set up an Employee Assistance programme allowing staff access to counselling services where appropriate.
Hewitt also initiated a staff health audit which identified stress, anxiety and depression as ‘real issues within the organisation’. James Kenrick states that:
‘after the health audit we sourced a stress vocational rehabilitation service, which has a vocational focus and is staffed by psychologists. Employees who have been absent for 10 days or more are referred for an initial assessment, and recommended the most appropriate treatment plan. We have found that this service, along with early intervention, has greatly reduced the days lost through stress-related absence and stopped stress-related disability altogether’.
Proactive management of mental health in the workplace has allowed Hewitt Associates to save ‘nearly £400’ per employee. More importantly, as Kenrick states:
‘it's the intangible elements that are most rewarding. The feedback from staff who have been helped to recover from difficult circumstances has been exceptional’.
EDF Energy is a major electricity provider. A workplace audit showed that the company was losing around £1.4m in productivity each year as a result of mental ill health among its employees. As part of an Employee Support Programme the company offered psychological support (cognitive behavioural therapy) to employees and trained over 1,000 managers to recognise psychological ill health among staff and to minimise its effects. This resulted in an improvement in productivity which saved the organisation approximately £228,000 per year. Job satisfaction also rose from 36 to 68% (Business in the Community, 2009).
Supported by business ‘dragon’ Duncan Bannatyne, the campaign shows that employers are becoming aware of the need to address and support good mental health in the workplace.
The Mind campaign underlines the message that the promotion of good mental health helps employers ‘increase productivity, improve staff performance and save thousands of pounds’.
Mind also hosts a series of follow-up programmes designed to actively encourage good mental health in the workplace.
Some of the companies who have signed up to support the Mind campaign include EDF energy, BT, Hewitt Consultancy, AXA and police and security services. James Kenrick at Hewitt Associates helped set up an Employee Assistance programme allowing staff access to counselling services where appropriate.
Hewitt also initiated a staff health audit which identified stress, anxiety and depression as ‘real issues within the organisation’. James Kenrick states that:
‘after the health audit we sourced a stress vocational rehabilitation service, which has a vocational focus and is staffed by psychologists. Employees who have been absent for 10 days or more are referred for an initial assessment, and recommended the most appropriate treatment plan. We have found that this service, along with early intervention, has greatly reduced the days lost through stress-related absence and stopped stress-related disability altogether’.
Proactive management of mental health in the workplace has allowed Hewitt Associates to save ‘nearly £400’ per employee. More importantly, as Kenrick states:
‘it's the intangible elements that are most rewarding. The feedback from staff who have been helped to recover from difficult circumstances has been exceptional’.
EDF Energy is a major electricity provider. A workplace audit showed that the company was losing around £1.4m in productivity each year as a result of mental ill health among its employees. As part of an Employee Support Programme the company offered psychological support (cognitive behavioural therapy) to employees and trained over 1,000 managers to recognise psychological ill health among staff and to minimise its effects. This resulted in an improvement in productivity which saved the organisation approximately £228,000 per year. Job satisfaction also rose from 36 to 68% (Business in the Community, 2009).
Sunday, 9 May 2010
How businesses profit from mental health
How businesses profits from mental health.
Businesses and services are developing the understanding that informed practice around mental health benefits both service delivery and profits. Staff are happier and more productive when they know that their employers' practices and procedures do not stigmatize or discriminate against illness or experience.
Days lost to absenteeism, sickness or unproductive presenteeism decrease when employees are not anxious about being dismissed should they choose to disclose a mental health condition. The attrition of unexplained job resignations or sudden departures decreases when taboos around mental health are dismantled by enlightened policies and staff trainings.
Business and services profit from individuals who are being signposted to mainstream as part of their recovery plans. Mainstream social inclusion takes place in any outlet where a recovering individual feels he or she can prioritise a personal goal. Venues such as education and training centres, sports facilities, colleges, recording studios, voluntary organisations and arts groups are benefiting substantially and financially from motivated people accessing mainstream. Where individuals are not paying all the costs themselves, there may well be contributions from schemes such as direct payments or from built-in concessions and offers. The increased business generated by mainstream social inclusion is considerable.
Businesses and services are developing the understanding that informed practice around mental health benefits both service delivery and profits. Staff are happier and more productive when they know that their employers' practices and procedures do not stigmatize or discriminate against illness or experience.
Days lost to absenteeism, sickness or unproductive presenteeism decrease when employees are not anxious about being dismissed should they choose to disclose a mental health condition. The attrition of unexplained job resignations or sudden departures decreases when taboos around mental health are dismantled by enlightened policies and staff trainings.
Business and services profit from individuals who are being signposted to mainstream as part of their recovery plans. Mainstream social inclusion takes place in any outlet where a recovering individual feels he or she can prioritise a personal goal. Venues such as education and training centres, sports facilities, colleges, recording studios, voluntary organisations and arts groups are benefiting substantially and financially from motivated people accessing mainstream. Where individuals are not paying all the costs themselves, there may well be contributions from schemes such as direct payments or from built-in concessions and offers. The increased business generated by mainstream social inclusion is considerable.
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