Last updated · 15 February 2024

Mental health support

Taking time off to heal your physical health is the norm, but taking a day off to look after your mental health can still feel taboo. Let's fix that.

Introduction.

25% of us will go through a period of poor mental health each year. And we largely don't talk about it. Discussing sick days related to physical health is straightforward, but openly considering the need to care for our mental health is still less common, especially at work.

This page explains how you can do this at Significa and what support you can expect.

How we think about mental health.

“Good mental health means being generally able to think, feel and react in the ways that you need and want to live your life. But if you go through a period of poor mental health, you might find the ways you're frequently thinking, feeling or reacting become difficult, or even impossible, to cope with. This can feel just as bad as a physical illness, or even worse.” Mind

Catching it early.

It's often common for people to wait until they feel their mental health challenges are really serious or impactful before talking to us about it. That’s OK if that’s your preference.

But we want you to know that if things start to feel unmanageable – however small – we can support you in many ways. If all you need is a chat for now, then our support can start and end there. If you need more support, we can figure it out together.

Help via Pulso is here for you, 24/7.

Support available.

Taking care of our mental health needs to be a priority for each of us and therefore, it's a priority of Significa's. Each of us will need different support, and here are some examples of the things you could do.

Taking time off. Recognising that you need to take time off may not always be apparent – mental health can present differently in everyone. You may be aware that you need to actively care for your mental health and know when to take time to regroup or get help, or you may be going through it for the first time.

If you need to take time off for your mental health (to rest or to attend appointments, such as therapy), you can take short-term leaves freely when needed, and we will cover your salary, as you can read in Leaves. If you need a longer pause, please take a look at Prolonged sick leave.

If you can't take time off, make use of our flexible Working hours and location policy. Sometimes, you might just need a little extra time for yourself during the day.

We provide mental health support with Pulso and Headspace. If you're struggling mentally, whether it's health-related or not, please take advantage of the support available. You can read our Mental health support page to see what other options are available, as well as the Help via Pulso page.

Make use of being able to work from home when it works for you. We don't expect you to continuously come to the office when you're feeling rough. Speak to the People and Operations team if there's something that you'd like to purchase to make your home office more comfortable.

Let's talk about it. We know this is sometimes easier said than done, but talking to your manager or the People and Operations team can help us support you better. While we do our best to check in and recognise signs that someone might be struggling, these conditions are invisible, and it can be tricky to detect when someone is suffering.

Making adjustments. We want to help you as much as possible, and sometimes, this might be making simple changes to your role or your working environment to make you more comfortable while at work. Speak to your manager. They will listen and learn more about your needs and work together with you to get you all of the support necessary.

Changes can be as small as shifting your typical working hours (to allow for sufficient breaks or working more from home) or spending additional time with your manager to help you organise your work better. There can also be bigger changes, like moving to a different project.

Please speak to the People and Operations team about your needs and how we could support you better.

It's common for us to seek support from a colleague or friend at work. If a colleague has opened up to you, or you're worried about them (for any reason), we encourage you to trust your intuition and talk to them directly about your concerns.

If a situation worsens or your concern increases, speak to a Partner. If they feel a check-in is needed, they'll follow up. We won't mention anything you have shared if you don't feel comfortable or think it's appropriate. We appreciate navigating trust around matters like this, which is hard.

One for managers.

Providing support to your team is a big part of your role, and you'll find yourself managing mental health needs regularly.

It’s important that you feel equipped to help and support your team, and it's important to note that Significa doesn't expect you to be an expert. We expect you to be human, to recognise when someone on your team may be struggling, and to explore this with them at a pace that feels right for them. Wider support is available with experts from Pulso.

Confidentiality.

While we aim to be transparent about most things at Significa, we want to reassure you that anything you share will remain confidential between those who need to know (for example, your Lead and the Partners).

The only time we'd have to breach that confidence would be if we felt you posed a threat to yourself or others. We'll never keep a written record of what you share with us.

Help Hotline.

If you need urgent support, call SNS24 24/7 on 808 242 424 and select option 4. You can also contact Help via Pulso 24/7 at +351 214 195 551.

Some questions and answers.

If I'm feeling unwell and want to talk to someone, what do I do?

We're sorry to hear that. Your first port of call should be your Lead, but you can always talk to the People and Operations team. If you want to talk to a professional, you always have the option of using Help via Pulso , on any day of the week, 24 hours a day.

Do I have to give lots of detail about what I'm struggling with?

The level of detail you decide to share is up to you. This being said, the more your Lead or trusted colleague knows, the better the support we can offer.

I'm struggling to concentrate at work. Is there anything we can do about it?

Yes. Talking to your Lead is a great starting point. Let them know which aspects you're struggling to concentrate on, and they'll be able to support you in gaining some focus (you don't have to figure this out alone). You may also need to take some time off.

Will being open about my mental health affect my progression?

No! As stated in Hiring criteria, Significa will always be merit-based. Being open about your mental health will not put your progression at risk. Please don't let anything stop you from opening up to us.

What happens if I'm signed off by my doctor?

Once you've let your Lead know, they will let the People and Operations team know to make sure you're supported during both your Leaves and your Returning to Work. At the same time, please share your letter from your doctor with the People and Operations team.

I'm worried about coming back to work after taking a long period of mental health leave. What will this look like?

We know that coming back to work after taking time off for your mental or physical health can be a little daunting. We’ve created a page in this Handbook fully dedicated to Returning to Work which we hope is of good help.