L&G CONVENE WORLDS OF SPORT & BUSINESS TO DISCUSS MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE
The worlds of sport and business teamed up at Twickenham Stadium last Friday for the first ever Not A Red Card Forum, with the joint aim of tackling the stigma around mental health in the workplace – the theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day.
Following the launch of Legal & General’s ground breaking Not A Red Card campaign in May this year, the leading life insurer hosted the first ever Not A Red Card Forum, which brought together leading voices from sport and business to raise awareness, educate and implement programmes that will make the workplace a more open environment to talk about mental health.
At the start of the day, delegates helped convey the scale of the challenge by taking part in an interactive poll where 87% said that they thought that their work had been impacted by their mental health at one point or another over their careers.
MC for the day’s proceedings was sports broadcaster Gabby Logan who declared personal motivation for her involvement following experiences with her father, former Wales footballer and manager Terry Yorath.
Other speakers who joined Gabby to discuss their own experiences of mental health included former HBOS Chairman Lord Dennis Stevenson, journalist Alastair Campbell and CEO of The Rugby Players’ Association, Damian Hopley.
Other high-profile sportsmen and women gave their own perspective on mental wellbeing during the day, and shared their opinions on how sport can provide an example to businesses of how we can better protect those who are suffering from mental illness.
Olympic gold and silver-medal winning athletes Helen Richardson-Walsh and Michael Jamieson talked about how, even at the height of their powers at the Olympic Games, they still suffered from mental ill-health – and discussed the benefits of having a supportive team around them.
Decorated Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson, added: “Being in professional sport is a very privileged lifestyle but the majority of people only get to see one side of that.”
Breaking the mental health taboo is something Legal & General’s CEO Nigel Wilson has long been committed to do. He said:
“The research from our inaugural event shows how much work still needs to be done. The fact that 87% of those who attended say their mental health has impacted their work demonstrates how prevalent this issue is. It is vital that businesses are able to spot the signs of mental ill-health early on and ensure they have the resources they need to look after any employees who might be suffering.
“Business can learn a lot from the world of sport about dealing with mental health issues, and it was great to hear first-hand from world renowned sport stars about the steps they took to look after their mental health. These accounts offered a strong reminder that mental health should be given exactly as much time and care as physical health.”
In taking the Not A Red Card journey forward, L&G has announced that they will be looking to celebrate those that have taken positive action. The Not a Red Card Awards will celebrate businesses and their employees and employers that have developed and implemented best practices around addressing mental health in the workplace. Categories will range in subject matter and will reward organisations and individuals alike for their efforts. More information about the awards, and other forward steps for the campaign, will be shared in the near future so follow #NotARedCard or visit the website for details.