TSB To Sign The Time To Change Pledge

TSB will be signing up to the Time to Change Pledge this week¹ – cementing the Bank’s commitment to tackling the stigma associated with mental health.

The Time to Change Pledge, which is run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, commits signatories to an action plan to drive change in attitudes and behaviours towards people facing mental health problems.

TSB’s Time to Change action plan aims to create a working environment where everyone working at the Bank feels able to talk openly about mental health and gets the support they need. This includes:

• Making mental health awareness training available to everyone working at the Bank through a new e-learning course developed by Mind.
• Building a network of mental health first aiders in the workplace. So far the Bank has trained 21 mental health first aiders and is working to identify areas of the business where mental health first aiders might be particularly valuable and where they could have the greatest impact.
• Normalising conversations about mental health by encouraging Partners, including senior leaders at the Bank, to share personal mental health experiences.
• Encouraging managers to keep mental health on the agenda at one to one meetings and team meetings.

Iain Laing, Chief Risk Officer and Executive Sponsor for Wellbeing at TSB, says: “Mental health is an issue we can’t afford to ignore. A quarter of British workers are affected by conditions like anxiety, depression and stress every year – so it really isn’t something that any of us should feel uncomfortable talking about.

“That’s why I’m delighted to sign up to the Time to Change Pledge, which not only commits the Bank to an action plan for change, but also gives a very clear message to all of our Partners that talking about mental health isn’t a taboo. In fact, it’s something we encourage. Because no-one should feel the need to say, “I’m fine” when they’re not.”