Watford Wellness addresses mental health issues in businesses

Watford Town Centre Chaplaincy have been leading Watford Wellness meetings in response to requests from Councillor Rabi Martins and Chris Luff of the Watford Chamber of Commerce who wished that more is done to help improve the mental wellbeing of Watford business staff members.

Cllr Martins has been adamant that discussing mental health within the workplace is essential to a long journey of improving staff wellbeing and productivity. Watford Borough Council first tested Wellness meetings from two years ago with mental health ‘first aiders’, and Cllr Martins says it was always his intention to bring this out to Watford businesses.

He said: “I wouldn’t say businesses aren’t aware of the importance of mental health in work, but they’re not investing and taking proactive action to address the issue.

“It requires commitment of resources right across the board and there is not enough of that yet.”

Addressing the issues is important to Cllr Martins, as he says there’s a “cost” of losing staff productivity if staff are not feeling confident and mentally stable. He claimed that “if you’re sitting at a desk while dealing with a mental issue, you’re not really working”.

Cllr Rabi Martins at a meeting (Photo: Watford Wellness)

Watford Wellness instead allows businesses and staff members to openly discuss with wellness coaches on how they can address issues of mental health, to make it a comfortable topic to discuss in the office and how it should be handled.

Many businesses also can make use of the services provided by the Chaplaincy, with some businesses including Wetherspoons, the market, intu and the town hall who all have chaplains visiting and providing support to any personal or work-related issues.

The monthly meetings held on the last Wednesday of each month has been going on for four months now, but Cllr Martins admits it is just the steppingstone to a long-term plan.

Within Watford Council, Cllr Martins senses there has been an improvement in the handling of wellbeing issues but believes there is a lot more to tackle.

During World Mental Health Day on October 10, Cllr Martin talked to people within the council to see how well-adjusted they felt after talking with mental health coaches over the past two years.

While many claimed they were a lot more comfortable with discussing mental health at work – Cllr Martin asked: “Let’s say if you have a meltdown the day before and then can’t concentrate during work – do you feel confident to say that you need to take time out to your manager?”

Alarmingly, no one said they could be confident enough to address their issues to take a break with their manager.

He said: “Talking is a starting point, petting people to discuss their issues is better than a seminar, as there is no doubt there is an issue that needs addressing. The bottom line is everyone has some form of a mental health issue, wherever they are on the spectrum.

“And not only that, but for managers, if you ignore it, businesses will suffer.”

Frances Novillo, the lead chaplain at the Watford Town Centre Chaplaincy, added: “I think increasing staff and managers are aware of the need to employ wellbeing at the workplace. With Watford Wellness we can bring together businesses and wellbeing practitioners to ensure that.”

Natasha is a wellness coach herself who first specifically coached young women and female entrepreneurs after she left her career in finance to become a coach.

Her niche has since evolved into focusing her coaching skills in helping people “reconnect with nature in a meaningful way”.

Natasha shared her wellness tips which people should be aware of when they feel they are struggling mentally.

1. Go for a brisk 30 minute walk every day. Ditch the car and walk to work or do the school run on foot
2. Eat locally grown seasonal food and where possible cook it from scratch. Batch cooking on a rainy Sunday stops you grabbing unhealthy food in the week. Hearty soups are a life saver!
3. Be open to feeling emotions such as sadness or fear and when you do practice saying, ‘this too shall pass’. Striving for constant ‘Happiness’ is not realistic and adds mental pressure to our lives.
4. Cultivate optimism by surrounding yourself with people who have a positive mindset
5. Simplify your life by buying less stuff, not saying ‘yes’ to every social engagement and by having some quiet thinking time to clear out your brain ‘clutter’

Another Watford Wellness meeting will be held on November 27 from 4pm to 6pm at Bills Restaurant found on High Street, Watford.