Mental health expert joins roundtable discussion to share best practice

The British Ceramic Confederation has welcomed an expert guest speaker to its latest Mental Health Roundtable.Tom Oxley, from Bamboo Mental Health, which works across all sectors to offer mental health advice and training, joined the meeting to share advice on how companies can best support their employees.Tom spends his time reviewing employers and training people on mental health and is already working with one BCC member. He believes that any employer can support every employee on mental health - they just need to be shown how.During the meeting, he discussed the effect poor mental health can have on employees, pointing out that for most people mental health issues are caused by a life event or a combination of factors. Only about seven per cent of people think work is the only cause of their mental health issues.Tom, who also spoke at the Pledge Conference and Awards in October, went on to discuss the benefits of a workplace review, the role of a stress risk assessment, reviewing company policy and looking at stress in a wider context. He shared best practice wellbeing strategies, the role of HR in creating ‘happier and healthier’ workplaces and the benefits of a peer network.Following the meeting, he added: “Health needs to catch up with safety on the workplace agenda. Good plans should not take a lot of money, but do need some time and commitment from the leadership team. The best activities are listening to the experience of staff, and training managers to spot signs, have a conversation and guide employees to support."When we can speak up at work, when we are consulted and when we are trusted and listened to by our managers, we feel safer and that helps our performance. It also meets the legal requirements under health and safety and equality law."BCC Policy Manager Rachel Timmins said: “Our members greatly appreciated the advice and knowledge that Tom shared during the meeting. It was a very enlightened and thought-provoking talk, and everyone agreed that they had plenty to take away with them from the roundtable."“We are now looking ahead to next year’s meetings and hope to arrange more guest speakers.”Mental Health Roundtable meetings are held quarterly and the first date in the diary for next year is Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The meetings are open to BCC members.