Our people

What we're doing to support colleagues with their mental health 

• Our Wellbeing Advocates champion wellbeing, recognising that mental health is intrinsically linked to other factors of wellbeing, like physical health. We also have Wellbeing Advocates who specialise in supporting ethnicity and LGBTQ+ wellbeing.
• We provide a LGBTQ+ mental health support service in partnership with our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provider. This service partners colleagues with a counsellor who has similar lived experience, ensuring they are met with empathy and understanding.
• We run mental health campaigns to educate, raise awareness of internal and external support and share real colleague stories – including the impact of money worries, homelessness and domestic abuse has on mental health.
• We have processes and guidance in place to support colleagues in mental health crisis and provide psychological first aid through our EAP provider where needed.
• Our suicide prevention training is accessible to all colleagues.
• We provide resources and practical tools for identifying and managing work-related stress.
• We provide tailored mental health training for people managers who support care-experienced young colleagues, recruited through our Project Hope programme. 

Our Health and Wellbeing team is committed to strengthening colleague mental health support and delivering meaningful, measurable improvements.

Our key focus areas include:

• Expanding suicide awareness training to build confidence in recognising and responding to risk.
• Strengthening line manager capability with better tools and guidance
  Increasing utilisation of preventative mental health support services by 10%.
• Improving early intervention and return-to-work pathways, aiming for a 5% reduction in mental health related absence.
  

"Change may make us vulnerable, but it also offers the opportunity for growth and healing."

Julie is a Manager within Consumer Relationships, and has been a Wellbeing Advocate for 6 years and trains other Wellbeing Advocates in the Group. 

"I've experienced first-hand how life's transitions can impact mental wellbeing. My journey has been marked by feelings of overwhelming inferiority and a tendency to people-please to the detriment of losing myself. 

From the outside looking in, my balancing of parenting and working has been a success; balancing a busy home life, a career, and actively socialising and supporting the community! However, I was going through an extremely challenging period during our son's epilepsy diagnosis and subsequent brain surgery, whilst also navigating the complexities of my daughter's highly competitive sport. Amidst the guilt of feeling like I was never quite getting it right and the inevitable highs and lows of family life, I felt like I was paddling furiously and losing myself along the way.

A significant family trauma very much exacerbated my mental health challenges. Navigating this while supporting our teenage kids and extended family was, in all honesty, the toughest challenge I’ve faced in life and led to a few periods of overwhelm. "

Breaking point

"In April 2024, I reached breaking point and had a severe panic attack alone at a busy city train station heading into the office. I was scared, vulnerable, and beyond exhausted. I knew deep down that I needed to ask for help. I never want to feel so broken and lost again. 

Reaching out for help marked the beginning of a transformative journey. Utilising the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and BUPA healthcare through work was simple; it's ‘making the call when you are so exhausted and feel done’ that is the toughest part. I will forever be grateful to LBG for offering us these services and for the ease of the process once you make that call!

Through therapy conversations, I realised I had been living life detached for a long while, merely going through the motions, even the good bits, plagued by a constant sense of failure and unworthiness and an overwhelming desire to hide from the world. I was diagnosed with severe depression, anxiety, and PTSD. 

It’s a struggle to accept and harder for others to understand. ‘Not you – you are always so positive’ was a common response. I began to address my mental health head-on.

EMDR therapy and prioritising self-care through better hydration and nutrition, walking, and educating myself on how our brain and mind work have been instrumental in reclaiming my life, as has the support of a great manager and an understanding team, never underestimate the power of your kindness and empathy! 

As I continue to navigate my path, I am committed to helping others find their way too. Change may make us vulnerable, but it also offers the opportunity for growth and healing. By sharing my story, I hope anyone else who needs to can find the strength to seek help, prioritise your well-being a little at a time, and hold onto the glimmer of hope because brighter days can be ahead."