Seven mortgage-related businesses have joined forces to launch the Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter (MIMHC), aimed at providing guidance, tips and a framework for firms looking to support the mental health of their staff.
The MIMHC is a non-profit organisation, and is the result of a collaboration between the following co-founders, covering the full spectrum from advisers and distributors to mortgage lenders:
- Crystal Specialist Finance
- Coreco
- Chartwell Mortgage Services
- Landbay
- The Brightstar Group
- Knowledge Bank
- SimplyBiz Mortgages
The MIMHC is focused on providing practical help to businesses across the sector who want to boost the mental health and wellbeing of their employees, and was launched in order to take forward the recommendations of the Stevenson and Farmer ‘Thriving at Work’ report produced for the government in 2017.
The MIMHC’s steering group has committed to continuously developing reference material and producing practical support so that signatories always understand the best practice in mental health and wellbeing. This information will be available on the MIMHC website, while visitors will also be signposted towards experts who can provide support to those most in need.
An annual review will be produced by the MIMHC to demonstrate how the mortgage industry is performing against key mental health metrics and whether the sector is progressing in improving the wellbeing of staff.
Signatories to the charter commit to the following pledges:
- Develop mental health awareness among employees using activities and advocacy.
- Encourage open conversations about mental health and the support available to employees who may be struggling.
- Provide employees with good working conditions that encourage a healthy work life balance and opportunities for development.
- Promote effective people management through line managers and ensure there is a focus on physical and mental wellbeing as well as performance.
- Routinely monitor employee mental health and wellbeing through surveys and regular contact with managers.
- Have a named contact for Mental Health Support.
Jason Berry, group sales and marketing director at Crystal Specialist Finance, said: “There is a lot of work for all of us across the mortgage industry to do in order to provide more substantial support to the mental health and wellbeing of our colleagues.
“The pandemic has thrown the importance of our mental health into sharp focus, and I’m certain that the Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter will give businesses across the sector a helping hand in delivering best practice. We look forward to welcoming more signatories to the charter from across the industry.”
Nicola Firth, founder and CEO of Knowledge Bank, added: “We are incredibly proud to be co-founders of the Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter. The help that this initiative will provide will be far reaching, giving both companies and individuals a point of reference for valuable materials and guidance.
“We’re committed to making the path to both providing and receiving help with regards to mental health issues as easy as possible.”