G4S has become the 500th organisation and the first security company in Scotland to publicly pledge its commitment to work with ‘see me’ to tackle the stigma and discrimination around mental ill-health.
‘see me’, Scotland’s national campaign to end the stigma of mental ill-health, seeks to work with businesses, organisations and public bodies across Scotland to highlight the importance of positive mental health and well-being, in the workplace and beyond. ‘see me’ is committed to empowering people to speak openly and confidently about mental ill-health to break down the associated barriers.
G4S is the largest security company in the UK and Ireland, with over 40,000 employees. In Scotland, G4S employs over 4,000 who come into contact with large numbers of the general public, the business community and many people within the criminal justice system. Representatives from G4S Secure Solutions Scotland and G4S Care and Justice divisions signed the pledge with Suzie Vestri, ‘see me’s Campaign Director.
The security contractor agreed plans to join with ‘see me’ to tackle the stigma and discrimination around mental ill-health by taking action as employers, service providers and community stakeholders. The company will introduce more training on mental health as part of their employee induction programmes and support employees to better understand and to respond appropriately to any mental health problems experienced by themselves, their colleagues or people in their care.
Suzie Vestri, ‘see me’ Campaign Director, said: “Mental ill-health can affect all of us at some point in our lives. For people experiencing a mental health problem, the reaction and support of family, friends and colleagues can make a huge difference to recovery.
“We welcome the commitment made by G4S to become the 500th organisation to unite with ‘see me’ in our aim to remove the barrier that stands in the way of people talking about mental ill-health. Everyone has a role to play in tackling the stigma and discrimination of mental ill-health. Simply being there for someone and offering support can make all the difference.”
Kevin O’Neill, Chair of the Lanarkshire Mental Health Improvement Partnership Group, said: “On behalf of the Lanarkshire partners I would like to express my appreciation to G4S for joining forces with ‘see me’ and ourselves in the promotion of mental health and well-being, stigma reduction and suicide prevention. We are delighted to see the discussions, which began in G4S’s Lanarkshire offices, grow into a Scotland wide commitment. G4S are demonstrating that mental health and well-being is everyone’s business and we all have an important contribution to make.”
Douglas Greenwell, Strategy and Development Director of G4S, said: “We are proud to pledge our support to the ‘see me’ campaign. Our employees are our biggest asset and better awareness of mental health issues will help them to support the people in our care more effectively as well as improving their understanding of how to cope with any issues they experience in their own personal lives.”
For more information on G4S, visit www.g4s.com/uk
