Woodgate and Clark Signs Mindful Employer Charter

The latest new thinking from Woodgate and Clark;

Woodgate & Clark has become the first major loss adjusting firm in the UK to sign the Mindful Employer Charter — a public commitment to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of its staff.

Established in 2004, Mindful Employer is a UK wide initiative run by Devon Partnership NHS Trust. Providing employers with easier access to professional Workplace Mental Health training, information and support, the initiative aims to help empower employers to take a lead in supporting the mental wellbeing of their staff.

Unlike other accreditations, it does not require organisations to have met specific benchmark criteria before signing. Instead, signatories make a public declaration of intent – committing to proactive, non-judgemental support for employees with experience of mental health challenges and to fair and inclusive recruitment practices in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Claire Fisk, HR Director at Woodgate & Clark, said: “By signing the ‘Charter for Employers Positive About Mental Health’, Woodgate & Clark has made a public statement of our commitment to supporting the mental health of our team. The Charter reflects something we already believe – people tend do their best work when they feel genuinely supported.

“Mental health isn’t a topic we want to shy away from, and this is our way of making that commitment visible. The business has an extensive wellbeing and support offering, including a wellbeing working group, well-attended monthly wellbeing webinars, tea and talk-style support sessions, financial wellbeing support, EAP, private healthcare provision and a wide-range of user-friendly apps and platforms for self-help guidance. We hope that by being the first major loss adjuster to sign this Charter, we can encourage others to follow.”

The Charter commits Woodgate & Clark to a set of core principles: to support staff without assumption or judgement, to equip line managers with the tools to handle mental health conversations effectively and to ensure that no employee or applicant is disadvantaged because of their mental health history.

Woodgate & Clark joins a growing number of UK employers across the public and private sectors who have signed the Charter as awareness of workplace mental health continues to rise.

Further information on the Mindful Employer Charter and its current signatories is available at www.mindfulemployer.dpt.nhs.uk