8point8 Training signed the Mental Health at Work Commitment today, demonstrating their ambition to develop a workplace environment and culture where all employees can thrive.

By signing the Mental Health at Work Commitment, 8point8 Training has committed to achieving better mental health outcomes and a genuine longer-term positive impact on staff and learners' wellbeing, joining a growing movement of over 1000 organisations including including: Avon Cosmetics, B&Q, Barclays Bank, BT, Bupa UK, Deloitte UK, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Historic England, Marks and Spencer, Pets at Home, Santander UK, Save the Children UK and many more. Developed with the knowledge and expertise of mental health charities, leading employers and trade organisations, the Mental Health at Work Commitment provides a simple framework for employers who recognise the importance of promoting staff wellbeing.

This framework sets out six clear standards based on what best practice has shown is needed to make a difference and better equip employers to create an environment where employees can thrive. David Ravensdale, Business Development Manager of 8point8 Training said: “By signing up to the Mental Health commitment,  8point8 Training has made a declaration to not only our employees, but also to learners who pass through our training school. We have recently recruited a Mental Health First Aid trainer and courses are now offered commercially which are accredited via NUCO, with both Awareness and full Mental Health First Aid qualifications offered. In addition to this, as a approved provider of apprenticeships, we also believe in positive promotion of Mental Health for younger (and potentially more vulnerable) learners and have embedded Mental Health Awareness training as part of all our apprenticeship programmes, that all apprentices will have access to during their learning journeys. In November we also started issuing a monthly Wellbeing newsletter to apprentice learners. These are all parts of a wider business strategy to promote Positive Mental Health in Telecoms. By signing the commitment today, this will ensure that the foundations are in place to ensure that our employees, learners and employers receive high quality training and advice. I would highly recommend any employer who are committed to promoting positive mental health cultures for their employees  to make the commitment and promote the work that they are doing."

Andrew Berrie, Mental Health at Work National Lead said: “We’re delighted to see 8point8 Training sign the Mental Health at Work Commitment. By embedding our six standards in the way they operate, Organisation Name are demonstrating a real commitment to supporting the mental health of those in their workplace."

“We know it can be hard to talk about mental health and seek support, which is why public commitments such as this one are so important. With issues like stress, anxiety and depression common across all employers, regardless of size or sector, we want to see every employer recognise and address any work related causes of poor mental health among their staff and it’s fantastic to see organisations like 8point8 Training taking the lead.”

In a survey of UK adults conducted by Business in the Community in partnership with Bupa in 2020, only one in two (51%) of employees say they feel comfortable talking about mental health in the workplace, whilst two in five (39%) report they have experienced a work-related mental health issue in the last year.

The cost of poor mental health to UK employers has been estimated to be between £42 billion and £45 billion, according to the Mental Health and Employers Report published in 2020 by Deloitte and investment in workplace support and interventions remains a key issue.

Andrew Berrie, Mental Health at Work National Lead added: “Many leading employers have found that making a strategic commitment to the mental wellbeing of their workforce not only benefits their staff but also their bottom-line, improving productivity and staff retention. With one in six British workers experiencing mental illness it's time for businesses to make a change and start creating more mentally healthy workplaces."