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World Mental Health Day 2019

387 days ago

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World Mental Health Day is recognised by the World Health Organisation on 10 October each year. The theme for 2019, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is suicide prevention. Each year, close to 800,000 people around the world take their own life. In the UK, suicide is the leading cause of death among young people aged 20-34.

In our third Public Service Pledge, published last month, Sodexo UK & Ireland committed to train all managers in mental health and wellbeing awareness. Launching on World Mental Health Day, our online course will assist managers in providing the right level of support to our employees. The learning module is mandated for all people managers, and should be completed by the end of 2019.

Also launching on World Mental Health Day is Sodexo UK & Ireland’s first Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing policy as part of our Wellbeing Matters campaign of conversations.

The policy aims to achieve the following objectives:

Tackle workplace factors that may negatively affect mental wellbeing, and to develop management skills to promote mental wellbeing.
Develop a culture based on trust, support and mutual respect within the workplace.
Provide support and assistance for employees experiencing mental health problems.

Andrew Wilkinson, CEO Schools and Universities and executive sponsor for the policy, says that conversation about mental wellbeing is key: “We all have our ups and downs, but being aware of how they may impact us, and being able to talk about these things, is a first step." You can request a copy of this new policy from your ine manager or HR business partner.

Read more from Andrew on our new Wellbeing page, where you can also explore a range of useful resources, all made available through the employee assistance programme (EAP), otherwise known as Sodexo Supports Me - including top tips for emotional wellbeing, advice on coping with anxiety, and ways to build resilience.

The EAP, provided by AXA ICAS, provides a wealth of online resources for employees and managers, telephone support and access to free counselling services. The service is available to all Sodexo employees in the UK and Ireland, including anyone living in your household.

If you would like to find out more about the EAP, head to the new Your_Sodexo Wellbeing page.

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