Understanding Talk Club's Business Support and Why It's Effective.
Talk Club Business Support has been helping businesses get mentally fit since June 2023, when we began working with Airbus and its staff. Since then, we have worked with various industries, including aviation, recruitment, law firms and a brewery, among others.
Here are our findings. As you can already tell, we use the language of mental fitness rather than mental health, as more work is needed in prevention rather than focusing on the broken 'fix-it' model.
It may come as no surprise that many small, medium, and large corporate businesses provide little to no mental health support for their employees.
Is this because there is no legal requirement, like there is with health and safety?
Is it because employers lack knowledge or understanding of the implications of a mentally fit workforce?
Or, employers don't know where to begin?
It could be all of the above.
Mental Health First Aid to Employee Assistance Programs.
Some companies have one or more Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) on staff.
A mental health training program originated in Australia in 2007.
Mental Health First Aid was developed and launched as a programme as part of a national approach to improving public mental health.
We have seen many incredible benefits to having someone in the workplace who supports and provides guidance when needed.
We have also seen the negative side of this, with MHFAS not getting used due to the personal relationship with the nominated MHFA and employees not feeling comfortable approaching someone who is their boss or team leader.
One MHFA we spoke to said they completed the two-day training, but there has been no follow-up since, and they have received no support to check in with them about their progress. Great, we have put measures in place in case of an emergency, but how do we know if they will work or continue to work?
It is like having fire extinguishers and not knowing if they are full of water or foam and are still effective.
Rory O'Connor is a professor of Health Psychology at the University of Glasgow and leads the Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory. When asked by the audience what he thought about MHFA at the Suicide Awareness in the Workplace conference, he answered that MHFA is vital, but it should be one of several services that people can access.
EAPs are expensive, and no one seems to know the answer whenever I ask an employer how many people accessed the service in the last 12 months.
So, does anyone use the service?
In March 2024, BBC Radio 4 aired an exposé about the poor service counsellors received from employers who used the program. One employee, when disclosing they felt suicidal, was advised to perhaps go on a date with their wife to make them feel better.
The positives of EAPs are that they are a perk for those businesses that can afford to pay for them, and are available whenever you choose to use the service.
In a standard medium-to-large company, you can go to the MHFA or call the EAP phone line. So, there are currently two options, not several, like Rory O'Connor has suggested.
Both of these actions are reactive rather than preventative, which is consistent with being on high alert and using negative, and at times, traumatic language rather than positive, empathic, and supportive language.
Filling the Gap.
There is a clear gap between MHFAS and EAP (employment assistance programs). Could Talk Club fill that gap?
After hearing many negative stories about the lack of support in the workplace, we decided that something needed to be done.
That is when we conceived Talk Club Business Support.
Firstly, at Talk Club, we simplify everything.
It is the Talk Club way of avoiding overcooking, as we say.
Similarly, the charity offers three services that provide continuity of care: talking groups, exercise groups, and therapy groups. We also provide several services.
1-2-1 listening support, a mental fitness workshop, training for group captains (facilitators), MHFA group support, and a Mental Health audit.
All these groups revolve around our truth question," How are you? Out of 10?"
The workshop helps identify the gap between the 8 hours spent at work and the 16 hours spent out of work, and how they impact the situation. What are we doing in and out of work, and how can we improve our mental fitness?
We start and end every session by asking, "How are you? Out of 10?"
The group captains (facilitators) training trains up individuals, whether MHFA trained or not, to help set up and run a talk and listen group, which could also be a Talk and Walk/run group in the workplace.
The Talk Club's four rounds for each group are as follows:
How are you? Out of 10? And could you explain why?
What are the positives in your life? What are you grateful for?
What are you doing this week about your mental fitness with a focus on diet, sleep and exercise?
How are you? Out of 10? And could you explain why?
The 1-2-1 listening support service is 25 minutes long, and we provide a bite-sized version of the four rounds, signposting where needed. This is very popular as it allows all staff to check in with someone who is not a work colleague when required. It feels safe and confidential, which we know is essential for anyone to feel comfortable opening up.
The mental health first aid group follows a specific format, where we check in at the beginning and end of each session. We also share good practices and any issues that have arisen for individuals, which they feel have impacted them during the month, while being available to support their fellow staff members.
The mental health audit is an opportunity to meet with one of our experts, review the provisions in place, and discuss what is working well and how we can further improve to better meet the team's mental health needs. We focus on building a mental fitness mindset to help prevent anyone from having low numbers.
Some businesses choose all of our services, and some prefer 1, but what is essential is that they all start using the "How are you? Out of 10?" question with each other in the kitchen while making a brew in a fire station or on a building site as you start your day or at the beginning of a stressful planning session in the boardroom.
Rather than the standard "Not bad, I am okay" default response, the "How are you? Out of 10?" question starts a real conversation. We call it THE TRUTH question.
Even if the person you are asking lies and says their number is higher than it is, that is okay. Because they now know the truth. They now know that they are getting close to the warning light coming on, and something inside needs their attention.
The most important takeaway from all of this, which is free, is regularly checking in with ourselves and each other, that simple but powerful question of…
HOW ARE YOU? OUT OF 10?
We automatically put our seatbelts on when we get in the car. Why? Because we are looking after ourselves. Knowing if something goes wrong, we have a greater chance of being safe. Mental health is no different, and we can do more to give ourselves a chance to be safe.
It helps us gauge where we are with our mental health capacity. If you are usually a 7 or 8 and your numbers have recently dropped to 5 or 6, do you need more support?
If we wait until we are a 2 or 3, that could be too late for some, and then you are off sick or feeling suicidal.
Prevention is key. How can we maintain our numbers, and when should we each ask for help? For myself, it is when I am a 5. That is when my warning light comes on, and I must reach out and ask for support.
How could you stay aware before the warning light comes on?
Keep asking those around you, including ourselves, that simple question:
HOW ARE YOU? OUT OF 10?
It costs nothing, but ignoring and not taking preventative measures can be costly, including the loss of someone's life.
If you would like to introduce Talk Club's Business Support approach into your workplace, please email us at business@talkclub.org
Or check our website here https://talkclub.org/what-we-do/business-support/
