Championing positive mental health at work across Leeds and West Yorkshire
Leeds Mindful Employer Network
Championing mental health at work
across Leeds and West Yorkshire
October 2021 Newsletter
Dear Network Members,
Welcome to our October newsletter - quite a bumper edition!
There is lots happening this month, starting with World Mental Health Day this Sunday 10th October. Read on for information on this year's theme and how you can get involved, as well as loads more including two fantastic blogs from local Mindful Employers Behind Closed Doors and Barca Leeds.
Welcome to new network members
and charter signatories
The Mindful Employer Network is free to join for all local employers and their staff across Leeds and West Yorkshire. This month we are extending a warm welcome to new network members from the following local businesses and organisations:
Coreline Fibre LTD
Edge Hill University
Flourish in Mind Ltd
Home-Start Leeds
IntegraCare
Kirklees Active Leisure (KAL)
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Sugarhouse Properties
Support After Rape and Sexual Violence Leeds (SARSVL)
Truth Legal
UK Coaching
Veezu Holdings Ltd
As always, it's fantastic to see such a wide range of local employers represented within our network. If you know someone who would benefit from being involved please do forward them this bulletin - they can sign up here.
We are also celebrating our newest Mindful Employer,Opposite Cafe who have recently signed the Mindful Employer Charter for employers who are positive about mental health.
Please click herefor more information on how your organisation can become a Mindful Employer.
Do get in touch if you have any further questions about the Mindful Employer Network or Mindful Employer Charter.
World Mental Health Day
10th October 2021
Mental Health in an Unequal World
Do you believe we should live in a society where everyone has access to proper mental health support?
We know that there continue to be huge inequalities in experiences of mental health - in the likelihood of developing mental illness, the access to mental health support and the treatment received by mental health services. As with other inequalities within our society, they are are determined by race, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation and class:
This World Mental Health Day is a great opportunity to speak out, spread the word and make change happen - in our workplaces, communities and wider society.
In our workplaces we can think about the links between diversity, inclusion and wellbeing. We can consider:
- how genuinely inclusive our cultures are;
- how easy it really is for people to open up about how they are feeling and say when they aren't ok;
- how far the experience of 'good work' is something enjoyed by everyone, not just some people in certain roles.
There is often a gap between how we think and say we're doing, and what people's experiences actually are.
Add #WMHDLeeds to share what you are doing with other local employers and groups. Tag @MindEmployerLds and @AntiStigmaLeeds so that we can share and retweet.
Start conversations with your colleagues. Listen to what they are telling you and commit to working together to make changes
Get involved with This Is Me by sharing your own experiences of mental health to #endthestigma for everyone, everywhere. You can also turn your social media green with This is Me Green Ribbon banners and virtual Green Ribbons to #endthestigma for everyone, everywhere. Use the hashtags #ThisIsMe #ThisIs MeYorkshire #EndTheStigma #WMHD2021
The impact of domestic violence and abuse on the workplace
Behind Closed Doors, a local Mindful Employer Charter Signatory, is a Leeds-based charity that works with people across the gender spectrum whose lives have been, or are, affected by domestic violence and abuse.
In our special blog, one of Behind Closed Doors's community support workers discusses the impact that domestic abuse has on the workplace and gives advice for employers on how to support colleagues experiencing domestic abuse.
Barca Leeds has been a Mindful Employer since 2015 and is a community-based charity delivering transformational projects for adults, children, young people and families in Leeds.
In this blog Barca Leeds proudly share how they have approached staff wellbeing over the past year and how this has impacted positively on staff feedback.
Looking for some help getting started on your Mindful Employer journey?
Our Ten Steps Toolkit is a fantastic place to start - full of helpful tips, useful links and local case studies.
"Such a good resource! Can't wait to get stuck in and make some real changes for my team!"
Please get in touch if you'd like us to deliver a free in-house workshop for your team.
Report of the month
Business in the Community’s (BITC) What If Your Job Was Good For You? report identifies actions employers can take to transform wellbeing at work. The report sets out how business leaders can create an environment in which employees feel supported to do their best work. It also outlines how to achieve good jobs for all, that drive sustainable positive mental health outcomes.
Access the recording from our Preventing Workplace Bullying Workshop
On 23rd September we ran a network event with Nicki Eyre from Conduct Change. Nicki delivered a fantastic presentation about ways to help prevent bullying within our workplaces and why it is important. Thanks to everyone who joined us and participated in the session.
"Really interesting presentation- generated lots of questions to take back to my organisation".
"This was a great event, great speaker, focused and organised - informative and good discussion points. Make excellent use of the time allowed."
"It will encourage me to consider the behaviours of others and myself and the impact they might have on different people".
Black History Month is an annual time of recognition, celebration, and consideration of the Black experience. We are reminded of how important genuine inclusion, diversity and equality are to achieving mentally healthy workplaces for everyone and how there is still a need to tackle racism within our workplaces, public institutions and wider society.
This year the theme for Black History Month is ‘The Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity’. The national organisation for Black History Month have also launched the ‘Proud to Be’ campaign to encourage Black and Brown people to share what they are proud to be and to recognise the incredible richness of Black and Brown heritage in the UK. You can read more here.
Local events and resources
Leeds Inspired have created a page of events celebrating Black History Month throughout October 2021 in Leeds and online.
Leeds for Learning have compiled resources and ideas for organisations working with children and young people.
Please let us know how you celebrate Black History Month in your workplaces.
Kinder Leeds: Festival of Kindness, Compassion and Wellbeing
From 10th-16th October Kinder Leeds will be hosting a wonderful festival of events in celebration of all things kindness, compassion and wellbeing within our city. Join us as we explore the fantastic opportunities on offer and get involved!
Inclusive Recruitment: the why and the how A virtual event to explore equality in employment opportunities
for people with experience of mental health conditions
We know that inclusive workplaces are essential for maximising creativity, innovation and productivity.
Making small changes to your recruitment processes can help ensure that you aren’t creating unnecessary barriers that stop applicants reaching their employment potential and stop you recruiting the best staff.
This interactive session will be an opportunity to share good practice in inclusive recruitment and discuss the many advantages of employing people with experience of poor mental health and mental health recovery. It will be led by colleagues from Leeds Mind’s WorkPlace Leeds employment service and informed by the experiences of WorkPlace Leeds clients. We will also hear from Kathryn Hart, HR Director at award winning inclusive employer, Touchstone.
WorkPlace Leeds has over 20 years experience in providing specialist mental health employment support and have been recognised by the Centre for Mental Health as a virtual ‘Centre of Excellence’.
This session is free and open to all members of Leeds Mindful Employer Network. It is particularly suited to HR, business leaders and managers.
Our 
