As part of their ongoing partnership with Dorset Mind, Blanchards Bailey joined others around the world in celebration of World Mental Health week. The firm’s Head of HR & Operation, Jane Eldridge-Cordner, provides expert advice to business clients on how they can best look after their employees’ mental health and offers examples on how the firm puts that advice into practice:

“Looking after your employees’ well-being should now, more than ever, be a key priority.  Modern day life pressures, coupled with challenges presented by the pandemic, have left many feeling anxious and depressed.  Signs of this in the workplace include decreased productivity, morale problems, lack of cooperation, absenteeism, presenteeism, complaints of tiredness, complaints of aches and pains and alcohol/drug misuse.

The good news is that there are a number of tools and strategies that employers can adopt to proactively manage health and well-being in the workplace.  These include:

·        ensuring you have a wellbeing policy.

·        developing a supportive culture by training mental health first aiders, educating line managers in recognising the symptoms of anxiety and stress, and running self-awareness workshops for staff.

·        providing easily accessible resources for staff which include self-help information as well as useful telephone numbers and links to websites.

·        providing access to an employee assistance programme which includes advice for maintaining and improving health as well as a counselling service that can be accessed free of charge.

·        signing up to the Wellbeing Charter or other recognised mental health champions to access current research and training.

·        carrying out regular staff surveys/stress audits to retain awareness of the overall mental wellbeing of your workforce.

Blanchards Bailey takes the mental health and wellbeing of its staff very seriously and, as such, has worked hard to build a supportive culture over the last few years.  Actions taken during this time include; signing up to the Wellbeing Charter and sourcing an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that not only supports ongoing good physical health but provides an online resource base for mental health. This includes the option of attending up to eight free counselling sessions, creating mental health champions who have been given formal mental health awareness training, developing a set of mental health resources and signposting for staff to access, delivering mental well-being sessions to all staff, and ensuring opportunities for informal networking and teamworking are provided across the Firm.  

Management awareness training is planned for this coming year, as well as improvements to the provision of flexible and remote working which the pandemic has made more possible and is strongly supported by the Firm.” 

For all HR and employment enquiries contact Jane Eldridge-Cordner on 01258 488220.

By: Blanchards Bailey

We have all been affected by the pandemic, feeling a sense of isolation and loneliness at being cut off from family and friends, but this is especially so for the elderly and vulnerable in care homes, especially those living with dementia.

Last autumn, Jenny Cottrell, solicitor with Porter Dodson in Sturminster Newton, nominated Newstone House in Sturminster (where her mother is a resident) to receive one of Dementia Friendly Gillingham’s giveaway robotic cats.  She wasn’t successful on that occasion. Then Anne Kings (the organiser) contacted her and she was introduced to Sue Reader of Marnhull.  She also wanted to donate a cat in memory of her late mother Rosemary Joyceand the two were paired up.  It seemed worth asking Porter Dodson and Symonds & Sampson, Estate Agents, Chartered Surveyors and Auctioneers if they would like to join in and they both readily agreed to get involved and donate a dog each to accompany the two cats”.

The result is that both Newstone House and Nazareth Lodge will each receive a feline and canine friend for their residents.  The benefits for the residents are well-established, especially when (pre-restrictions) both homes were regularly visited by pets and all kinds of other creatures – “I met two donkeys leaving the lift once in Newstone” comments Jenny.

Mark Lewis of Symonds & Sampson said “The long-established firm of chartered surveyors, Symonds & Sampson, have bought a Robo pet and will be donating it to residents in a dementia home in Sturminster Newton. We are delighted to be involved in this initiative with regional law firm, Porter Dodson. Their pet is called Porter and ours, of course, is Sampson!”

Chloe Hooper who works as a residential negotiator at Symonds & Sampson says “The Robotic Companion Pets are hugely beneficial for people living with dementia, people with Parkinson’s, children with special needs, the elderly, and anybody suffering from mental health issues.  Patients in NHS dementia wards who had previously been anxious, frightened, and who tended to wander, suddenly calm down, and start to interact with their new companion. The pressure taken off staff was immediate and made them feel good too.”

Richard Baker, Head of the Family Team and CSR Partner at Porter Dodson, said: “Porter Dodson is committed to putting the needs of clients and the local community first. During what has been a particularly challenging time for families, especially for those with loved ones in care homes, we are delighted to be supporting this initiative and hope that both Porter and Sampson bring much joy to those they come into contact with. “

By: Porter Dodson