A Lanarkshire company is prioritising its staff wellbeing after investing in 12 newly-qualified mental health first aiders.
ACS Clothing, based in Eurocentral, has around 190 workers from all over the county who can now rely on specially-trained colleagues when they are struggling.
The firm, which specialises in sustainable clothing, recognised that a strong focus should be put on people's mental health and ensuring support is always accessible.
In the space of a couple of a years, ACS went from having four dedicated mental health first aiders to 16, after 12 members of staff were awarded their certificates this summer.
With such a large workforce, the ratio is now roughly one mental health first aider per 12 workers.
They now hope fellow businesses can follow suit to look after their staff.
Michael Cusack, head of sustainability and business transformation, told Lanarkshire Live : "Back in 2019 we identified that mental health was becoming more of a bigger issue. Many people bottle it up and they don't share it.
"We heard about the qualification for mental health first aiders and we've since built up the number of people trained on this.
"Mental health is a major issue, a lot of people underestimate it. It's just as big as many physical elements but we dismiss it and it impacts people's welfare as well as productivity from a business perspective.
"We've had some serious cases here, and what we're finding is that when our workforce gets younger we're finding there's even more mental health issues. The good thing is younger people are talking about it more."
ACS partner with other organisations and direct colleagues to counselling services after the first aiders identify problems and ensure they can receive the correct professional support.
As well as having dedicated mental health first aiders, all staff at ACS are given mental health training.
"I can't think of anything more important right now than resolving the issues around mental health", Michael explained.
"It's not just in the workplace, lots of people in the community are struggling right now, and I think it's getting worse.
"It's something we're taking seriously. We want to now dedicate time for employees to take a break and do an activity that helps their welfare."
Michael added: "If you look after the staff, the staff will look after the company.
"We're also a real living wage and real living hours employer and these are just the basics. And if all organisations did this, our society would be a lot better.
"Everyone gets trained in mental health, but having these first aiders brings it up several more levels."
Applauding the initiative, Uddingston and Bellshill MSP Stephanie Callaghan said: "It is estimated that almost 15 per cent of people have experienced mental health problems in the workplace, with 44 per cent of all sick days caused by stress, depression and anxiety.
“Given these stark figures, it is clear that employers must significantly ramp up the mental health support they provide to their staff.
"I am hugely impressed by local business ACS Clothing and the leadership they are showing in responding to the mental health struggles so many of us face at certain points in our lives.
"By training mental health first aiders, ACS are helping to remove the still all too prevalent stigma attached to speaking about our own mental health.
"Their initiative is proactively investing in the mental and emotional health of their staff; something that benefits both parties.
"I have no doubt that if other employers train mental health first aiders, we will see the numbers of people suffering from stress, depression and anxiety reduce over time.”
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