Mental Health Training with Hull and East Yorkshire Mind


As part of our commitment to providing the very best working environments, we’ve built a strong partnership with Hull and East Yorkshire Mind to deliver exceptional mental health training.

Lorraine Hamilton, a Mental Health Trainer from the organisation, visited our offices to teach SGS Managers and Team Leaders a range of topics and techniques that make a tangible difference in the daily running of a workplace. This valuable insight promotes awareness around all mental matters and reflects the company’s focus on employee wellbeing.

The first Mental Health Awareness session was with Managers and Team Leaders from our Bridgehead and Maltings offices in Hull, with another taking place in our Tamworth branch and further events planned for other bases around the UK.

Lorraine has worked at HEY Mind for eight years and has been the Training Coordinator for the past two. Her main roles are to speak to local businesses and discuss their needs, advising on specific content to suit their workplace wellbeing strategy. She then delivers accredited training programmes such as Mental Health First Aid and bespoke packages that are in line with an individual company’s requirements.

The sessions taking place at SGS examined the early signs that appear when someone is experiencing stress or a mental health issue and the help that is available: “This includes how to play a key part in changing the wellbeing culture of an organisation and encourage people to talk openly about their issues without feeling the stigma attached to mental health,” explains Lorraine. “We did some exercises to examine our own stress bucket and how we can adopt helpful coping strategies to increase our resilience.”

SGS shares Mind’s core value that positive mental health in the workplace increases productivity and ensures that staff are healthy, happy and feel valued in their roles. It benefits everyone, helping to create thriving surroundings and enhancing communication between us and our clients. 


“The sessions went well and the delegates were extremely committed to gaining more knowledge about how to support their teams,” adds Lorraine. “By the end, most felt more confident to do this in the workplace.”

HEY Mind supports local businesses by providing information in a range of formats, including booklets on mental health issues, drop-ins, information stands, and all kinds of helpful activity through its website and social media channels. Combined with an extensive range of awareness training, together we’re equipping SGS employees with the skills to improve their own wellbeing and support that of their peers.

Meanwhile, HEY Mind is in partnership with Hull City Council to support local businesses through the Time to Change pledge, which provides a framework for everyone in the workplace to feel confident in talking about their mental health. Needless to say, SGS has signed the pledge and we actively look out for signs that someone may be struggling, as well as nurture a shared spirit of empathy in which honest conversation is integrated into everything from team meetings to one-to-one sessions.

The charity relies on funding and fundraising to deliver a variety of services to local people, which is why our apprentices chose it as one of their four beneficiaries for 2019. Through a range of year-round activity, the apprentices and their colleagues are raising money that will be split between HEY Mind, Hull Homeless Community Project, Yorkshire Cancer Research and Aaron’s Battle. If you’d like to add something to the pot, you can make a donation on their GoFundMe page. 

“The support of the SGS apprentices is amazing,” says Lorraine. “It shows how young people are becoming more aware of the importance of looking after their own mental wellbeing. This can only be a good thing for the workforce of the future.”

Andy Cochran is a Brand Team Leader who took part in the Mental Health Awareness training: “I found the session very intriguing. It's interesting to see how far learnings and understanding of mental health have progressed, and that it is now recognised within the workplace. It's also encouraging to see that based on this recognition, more and more access avenues are being created and supported.”

This is just the beginning of our partnership with Hull and East Yorkshire Mind. With a variety of methods available through the charity for building a culture of openness, understanding and solidarity, we promise to take every step possible to help our colleagues to be confident, safe and happy in their roles.
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There’s all kinds of activity taking place across SGS Packaging Europe’s offices, so keep up to date by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. 

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