Stockport accountants and business advisors, Hurst, have partnered with charity, State of Mind Sport, to deliver a mental fitness initiative for staff.
Hurst will kick off the initiative with an event for the team, staged in partnership with State of Mind Sport, a charity founded in 2011 by former rugby league players who had faced mental health challenges.
The initiative at the Stockport accountants follows a review by Partner and Head of Practice Development, Simon Brownbill (pictured). Simon has undertaken training with St John’s Ambulance to become the practice’s first qualified mental health first-aider. Simon said:
There are proven links between active, healthy workplaces and good mental health.
“People in all roles and at all stages of life can be affected by mental health issues. We have strong values and want to ensure the wellbeing of our people by being able to support colleagues who may be affected, as well as to help tackle the stigma associated with mental health.
“However, this initiative is much broader than that. We want to look at how we can all become more resilient and positive, which we hope in turn will reduce the chance of colleagues requiring more acute support.”
Manager Katie Waud and Payroll Team member Siouan Oliver have also become mental health champions at the firm. All three have now qualified to help colleagues and signpost them for further support if required. Katie said:
The training was really insightful. The reality is that, in this day and age, people are more likely to require mental health first aid than physical first aid.”
As well as simply being the right thing to do for staff, Hurst hope that taking an active approach in improving staff mental health, it will deliver productivity benefits to the business.
The Stockport accountants are also planning a future event to encourage a more active workplace. The firm has invested heavily in physical first aid in the past, becoming one of the first office-based businesses in Stockport to install and train staff to use a defibrillator.