Swindon MINDFUL EMPLOYER meets Stand to Reason !

8:00pm Monday 11th January 2010

By Wellbeing At Work

When writing a blog about mental health in the workplace it is so easy to forget that the issue impacts on everyone – not just staff and managers – but also Chief Executives and company directors. Yes, everyone. Stress, anxiety and depression can strike a person regardless of their background or position. Take Jonathan Naess for example. A promising career in the City of London has been put on hold by periods of depression – some hopes dashed, ambitions thwarted and potential curtailed. Depression and bi-polar disorder (used to be called manic depression) is a common mental illness impacting on countless people’s lives but despite this many sufferers manage to overcome the problem and still contribute greatly to society – and earn a living at the same time !

Jonathan is a good example of someone who has grasped the nettle. Realising that many people with mental health problems are creative and have a positive work ethic he set up Stand to Reason to campaign for greater understanding and less discrimination. In order to affect change, he took a look at the political establishment - and didn’t like what he saw. Career limiting laws for MPs meant restrictions on people entering parliament with a history of mental illness even if that illness was a short ‘blip’ in a person’s life. Surprisingly, an anonymous survey among parliamentarians initiated by Stand to Reason and other groups indicated a high percentage had suffered mental illness or had a family member or close friend who had experienced problems. He concluded attitudes had to change – starting from the top.

I am looking forward to hearing from Jonathan Naess and his work at Stand to Reason at the next Swindon Mindful Employer Network meeting on Wednesday 27th January along with Geoff Windle from the Swindon Psychology Services – which support patients at local GP surgeries, Emily Leadbetter from Capita Business Services and Kate Kyne and Elizabeth Fitzpatrick looking at the collaborative work of HR and Occupational Health departments at Great Western Hospital.

The Swindon Mindful Employer Network is free to local employers and currently the meetings are held at Thring Townsend Lee & Pembertons in Penny Lane.