THE management team from a Worcester training firm is supporting Mental Health Awareness Week and has received accreditation as a business which looks after the mental and physical health of its staff.

The assessors for Worcestershire Works Well, a free accreditation scheme designed to support businesses to support the health and well-being of their employees, evaluated the company in several areas including physical activity, leadership, healthy eating and mental health.

When accrediting the company to Level One of the scheme, the assessors praised the company’s decision to bring in an external mental health nurse once a month at the company’s expense.

It comes in the week that City & Guilds Group, the assessors for the Princess Royal Training Awards, which ISOQSL achieved last year, call upon employers and managers to take the lead when it comes to mental wellbeing in the workplace.

Its 'Leading in a Digital Age' report highlighted a discrepancy in how senior management and employees view psychological safety in the workplace with one in five businesses having no measures in place to support it despite 94% of respondents saying that they consider it to be important.

Jennifer Semini, MD, said: “This is a family business with very strong people-oriented values.

"Our employees are our biggest asset so taking a ‘wait and see what happens’ approach to their wellbeing does not make good business sense for us.

"Worcestershire Works Well helps us to be proactive in looking after their health and wellbeing so they can continue to provide exceptional support to our clients.

"The results speak for themselves: our customer feedback is overwhelmingly positive and our business is meeting all its growth targets.”

Debbie Farr, director of HR and facilities management, added: “As well as our external mental health nurse, we have received Mental Health First Aider training, provided advice about healthier living and have even started a WhatsApp group to share healthy recipes.

"These steps, coupled with our flexible working policy, encourage our team to achieve a better work/life balance and achieve a higher quality of life.

"We’re now looking forward to seeing how we can build on this still further as we work towards Level Two of Worcestershire Works Well."