Supporting colleagues affected by bereavement at Royal Mail - Business in the Community

Supporting colleagues affected by bereavement at Royal Mail

In this video Royal Mail Group discuss the crucial role of the employer in supporting staff with the impact of bereavement and suicide.

In partnership with Bupa, Business in the Community (BITC) is sharing ways businesses are prioritising employee mental health and wellbeing. This video is part of a series featuring members of the BITC Wellbeing Leadership Team, to support organisations to #BuildBackResponsibly.

How the Royal Mail Group is helping colleagues affected by death and bereavement

In this video, Dr Shaun Davis, Global Director of Compliance and Sustainability, Charlene Ryan, HR Director, and Emma Hogan, Head of Advice and Support at the Royal Mail Group share the impact of bereavement and suicide on employee wellbeing. They also discuss the crucial role of the employer in supporting staff with these issues against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What if your job was good for you?

People do not expect to be physically injured at work, and nor should their mental health be damaged. However, in the 12 months before BITC’s Mental Health at Work 2020 survey, developed in partnership with Bupa and the BITC Wellbeing Leadership Team, 41% of employees experienced poor mental health caused by work1. Although work can be part of the cause of poor mental health, it can also be part of the solution to improving it. COVID-19 has acted as a powerful catalyst to transform the working world. For example, employees who never dreamed of working remotely and flexibly are now doing so.

BITC’s What If Your Job Was Good For You? report identifies actions employers can take to transform wellbeing at work. It contains two calls to action for employers that build on lessons learnt from the pandemic.

  1. Treat mental health and safety with the same importance as physical health and safety.
  2. Collaborate with colleagues to enable employees to create their own ‘good jobs’ within organisational parameters.

The What If Your Job Was Good for You? report was delivered in partnership with the Business in the Community Wellbeing Leadership Team and Affinity Health at Work, and supported by CIPD

Next steps

Further information

what if your job was good for you?

References
  1. Business in the Community (2020) Mental Health at Work 2020: key findings.