“The CMHA is really great at listening to where you are in your journey, in order to provide recommendations on the organisation’s next steps. What should your next priorities be to support your colleagues’ wellbeing in the best way possible? During Covid-19 and lockdown I’ve valued the partnership even more so. They were really flexible and quick to respond.”
How did you work with the CMHA during the pandemic?
“LSEG had a mental health awareness programme prior to Covid-19. We had planned to roll out a number of accredited mental health awareness training sessions but when the pandemic hit, the CMHA worked with us convert those sessions to a virtual platform. It meant that we could also deliver the programme to our regional colleagues providing support across Asia-Pacific, the Americas and the UK. The CMHA guided us to understand the nuances in those regions to ensure we were relevant in terms of their lockdowns.
“As with all organisations, we were having to deal with working in new ways, but with the CMHA’s help we could provide mental health support really quickly. Ultimately, we delivered around seven sessions in April 2020, which was great. And that global reach of the Alliance was invaluable, because we want to support all our Group colleagues in a consistent and meaningful way.”
What was the effect of the training?
“The CMHA training has really increased the level of transparency and honesty. People are sharing what they’ve been going through and it’s great to see.
“We created a mental health champion community, who come together virtually every month. That’s been really powerful, to hear how they’re starting to use their new skills to speak to people within their teams. They share these experiences and support one another, and perhaps signpost to services such as the Employee Assistance Programme.
“On World Mental Health Day, a number of champions created their own videos talking about some of the challenges they have faced through lockdown, which we shared across the Group. They received a really positive response.
“Before the training, it might have been difficult for people to come forward and be honest about how they’re feeling. But the CMHA are really helping us to build that culture of collaboration and transparency across the Group, and their flexibility and agility has really supported me in my role.”
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