Ben launches new mental health tools

This Mental Health Awareness Week, Ben is showing support for automotive industry colleagues who are struggling with mental health issues by launching new content and tools to help them.

Mental health issues were the second biggest concern for automotive industry people during 2017, accounting for 31% of all contacts to Ben’s helpline.

Additionally, the most popular pieces of online blog content on Ben’s website are around anxiety, with over 10,000 views, and depression, with over 5,000 views. Anxiety and depression are also regularly in the top five reasons why people seek support from Ben’s helpline.

This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week focuses on stress and questions whether ‘we are coping’. Ben has some useful resources to help people deal with stress, which if not managed can contribute to (or worsen) mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, amongst others.

Ben has launched a new tool on its website to help people check their anxiety and stress levels. Also, the charity launched its first training service last year, which offers support and guidance specifically around mental health and well-being. The programme equips both managers and employees with new skills to help them deal with difficult issues, with training for managers and masterclasses for employees.

So far, the company have trained around 2,500 people in the industry around their mental health and wellbeing.

Zara Ross, chief executive of Ben, said, ‘This Mental Health Awareness Week, we want to make sure that the people of the automotive industry know we are here for them when they need us. The automotive industry continues to go through a challenging time and this means that, now more than ever, we need to be there for the people who keep it running, day in, day out.’