You’re offline. This is a read only version of the page.
In the run up to this year’s World Mental Health Day, we chatted to MHFA England client, Debbie Francis, Senior HR Business Partner at Ford Motor Company, about how the organisation is putting the mental health and wellbeing of their staff at the heart of the business.
Whilst World Mental Health Day is an excellent way to promote good mental wellbeing, at Ford, we know that our employees are our biggest asset, so we need to take steps to support them throughout the year. We want to give people the best and most appropriate tools to allow them to succeed in their professional lives, which will have a positive impact on their personal lives – the two are inextricably linked.
From the small things, like signposting 30-minute walking routes around the external grounds of our Dunton campus, enabling traditional 1:1s to be held outside, to the big things, like appointing a European Senior Leader as our Mental Health Champion to work with160 of our MHFAiders; our mental health strategy embodies the importance of caring for each other. We are creating a culture of belonging, where everyone can bring their best selves to work.
We want everyone to have the confidence to talk openly about the importance of wellbeing and self-care. We encourage listening with empathy and curiosity. Working with MHFA England has provided us with the tools and guidance required to create a sustainable, long term mental health strategy – with the emphasis on long term. It’s important not to just focus on workplace trends and calendar hooks, but to make sure that our strategy is built around our relentless focus on building the right culture for our staff to thrive.
We also work closely with our EAP provider and occupational health partner to ensure that we are communicating regularly and addressing the tough topics that previously may have been avoided. Techniques and tips for dealing with difficult situations and
circumstances are provided, but most importantly the avenues to talk are given and supported. We also recently launched a mood indicator tool, providing teams with the ability to share how they are feeling every day.
Some businesses may feel that they do not have the structure to support a mental health strategy, but I really don’t believe that this is the case. It doesn’t matter what size the business or organisation is, promoting open discussion about mental health
and the importance of wellbeing is key. By empowering and allowing everyone to get involved you will provide a movement to create a healthy, happy and engaged team.
We also create activities to recognise worldwide and national awareness days to promote the importance of good mental health and wellbeing. As part of World Mental Health Day 2021 on 10 October Ford are embracing the theme of 'Mental Health in an Unequal World'. We will be engaging Ford employees globally and encouraging learning from each other, sharing best practice by using postcards and short videos that will be shown on an interactive map.
Our partnership with MHFA England, as well as the willingness of the Ford team to ‘Care for Each Other,’ at every level, around the world, truly embodies the Ford+ Behaviours and our mental health and wellbeing strategy. The Ford+ Behaviours are a compass
to guide every decision we make about our work; they are our blueprint, co-created with over 10,000 employees around the world and are essential to our success.
On 10 November, Vicki Cockman, Head of Client & Community Delivery at MHFA England spoke at the Wellbeing at Work Summit about Ford's success in making mental health and wellbeing a strategic priority.