World Mental Health Day 2020

Saturday 10^th October 2020 is Mental Health Day. The months of lockdown and loss this year have had a huge impact on us all, and prioritising mental health has never been more important than it is now. We wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some of the positive steps Rapid Personnel has taken as a business to help our key worker employees.

Many of our staff have been going into work during the coronavirus pandemic. As a result of this we are aware that they might have been experiencing some difficult feelings. These may be new feelings, or things they’ve experienced in the past.

There is no right or wrong way to feel or react to this situation. But there are some common feelings that might be experienced during this time:

Stress

Anxiety

Guilt

Anger

These feelings can manifest as a result of:

• coming into contact with a lot of people, including those who may have coronavirus
• having more work to do or working longer hours than normal
• feeling uncertain about keeping a job or worried about money
• Worrying about spreading coronavirus to your friends and family
• Being concerned about the availability of suitable PPE

We understand that going into work during coronavirus, people might find it hard to take care of their mental wellbeing. This may feel even more difficult if they are working long hours or under a lot of pressure.

Even doing small things can make a big difference to mental wellbeing. These are some suggestions we have encouraged our staff to follow:

Connect with people – talk to someone you trust

Use available support – mental health helplines provided by Rapid

Make time for yourself where possible

Try to keep active

Look after your physical health – nutrition and hydration

We have worked closely with our clients to improve hygiene and safety procedures in the wake of COVID-19. This includes the provision of additional PPE, reduced seating on our transport service, and better processes while at work as well as improved screening prior to starting a new assignment.

None of our employees lost their income or jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and all have been offered the opportunity to continue their employment since the national lockdown ended. We have made mental health information and helpline numbers available to all staff and have encouraged them to reach out to us in confidence should they wish to discuss anything that is of concern.

2020 has been a challenging year on a number of fronts, but we are confident that the processes we have put in place for our own office based staff and those of our temporary employees will ensure a healthy working environment for everyone and will foster positive mental health with additional support for those who need it.

Categories: Rapid Insights Tags: Coronavirus, COVID, Health, Rapid, Reading