Mental Health at Work partners with Simply Business to help improve the mental health of UK small business owners
Mental Health at Work has partnered with Simply Business to support the UK’s self-employed with their mental health and wellbeing. Together we surveyed more than 700 small business owners to understand their challenges. Now we want to start a conversation and break the stigma surrounding mental health at work.
Visit Mental Health at Work’s dedicated Self-Employed Support Hub for toolkits, resources and powerful stories to help improve workplace wellbeing, and check out the Mind Your Business initiative by Simply Business to find out more about the challenges facing the self-employed and small business owners.
- Mental Health at Work partners with Simply Business, one of the UK’s biggest providers of small business insurance
- Partnership sees Simply Business donate £100,000 to Mental Health at Work to support the mental health of the UK’s self-employed
- The partnership aims to build mental health literacy and reduce mental health stigma in the workplace
- A recent survey of over 600 small business owners reveals more than one in five rate their current mental wellbeing as ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’
- Simply Business have raised over £320,000 for Mind since the start of their three-year charity partnership in 2021
Mental Health at Work, a programme led by the Mental Health at Work Leadership Council and curated by Mind Mind Mind provides advice and support on mental health, and campaigns to improve understanding, across England and Wales. View organisation, has partnered with Simply Business to improve the level of mental health support available for UK small business owners.
The partnership sees Simply Business, one of the UK’s biggest providers of small business insurance, donate £100,000 to Mental health at Work to develop information and support for the self-employed and to build on the information it currently provides for those working at SMEs.
Simply Business have raised over £320,000 for the charity
Since kicking off a three-year partnership with mental health charity, Mind, in January 2021, Simply Business have raised over £320,000 for the charity. Mind will continue to be Simply Business’ UK charity partner, with colleagues engaging in a range of exciting fundraising events and volunteering initiatives.
More than one in five self-employed rate mental health as ‘bad’ or worse.
The partnership comes as fresh insight exposes the extent to which small business owners in the UK are struggling with their mental health.
A recent survey of over 600 self-employed people by Simply Business revealed that 18% would rate their mental wellbeing at the end 2022 as ‘bad’, with 4% saying it’s ‘very bad’.
Years of lockdowns, restrictions on trading, and now a cost of living crisis have taken their toll on the small business community.
In the same survey, 51% reported feelings of stress, 39% say they have suffered with anxiety, and almost one in four (23%) have experienced insomnia. Depression (20%) and loneliness (19%) were also shown to be common.
A positive impact on the mental health of UK small business owners
The partnership aims to build mental health literacy and reduce mental health stigma in the workplace, with a vision of creating mentally healthy workplace environments in which all people at work can thrive.
The £100,000 donation from Simply Business will enable Mental Health at Work to develop information and support for the self-employed, and build on the information it provides for those working at SMEs. This includes:
- Undertaking new research to understand the challenges and needs these groups face to accessing mental health support,
- Building this insight into recommendations to support the self-employed at a national level,
- Developing conversations with policy makers to champion our recommendations,
- Running campaigns to reach, engage, and support the self-employed and people working at micro and small organisations.
As well as supporting Mental Health at Work, the partnership enables Simply Business to make mental health support more accessible to all colleagues across the company.
In the face of the growing mental health emergency and the urgent need to tackle disparities within mental health, Simply Business’ commitment to support better mental health at this time has never been stronger.
Natalie Rathner, Head of Social Impact at Simply Business, said: “At Simply Business, we prioritise supporting the wellbeing of our people and the 850,000 small business owners we represent – many of whom have been severely affected by mental health challenges during the pandemic. As well as raising money for Mind, our partnership with the charity enables us to make mental health support more accessible to all colleagues across the company.
“We are delighted to be able to support Mind in their mission to help everyone experiencing a mental health problem.”
We know it’s not always easy
Sarah Merrington, Head of Mental Health at Work, said: “When it comes to managing mental health at work, we know it’s not always easy – it’s difficult to prioritise and it can be tricky to know where to start. And if you’re a freelancer or small business owner, you might have little time to spare. This means that mental health and wellbeing often takes a back seat.
“We’re really thrilled to be partnering with Simply Business to help reach these key audiences. Together, we can make mental health support accessible for all SME owners and sole traders, to enable them to make a positive change, whatever they do for work.”
About Mental Health at Work
Mental Health at Work is a programme led by the Mental Health at Work Leadership Council and curated by Mind, the mental health charity. Launched in 2018, the programme’s website is your first stop to help you find what you need for better workplace wellbeing, and a key enabler for organisations as they implement the Mental Health at Work CommitmentThe Mental Health at Work Commitment introduction guide This PDF guide, created by the Mental Health at Work team, explains more about what the Commitment is, how to sign up, and what to do next. By: Mental Health at Work (website) View resource and embed best practice into company culture.
With plenty of tools and real-life stories, the website makes navigating the workplace mental health landscape easy. You’ll find original content that includes a range of tips, ideas, examples and thought pieces on workplace mental health as it relates to different issues, people, and industries. Everyone’s experience is different, and by shedding light on these struggles, the website seeks to normalise mental health, and support organisations of all sizes in making a positive change.
About Simply Business
Simply Business is one of the UK’s biggest business insurance providers, specialising in public liability insurance for SMEs and insuring over 850,000 small businesses and landlords across the UK.
Launched in 2005, Simply Business provides an online brokerage service, delivering policies tailored to individual business requirements. Using the power of tech and data to create the best possible customer experiences, Simply Business employs over 1,000 people across its UK offices in London and Northampton, and its US offices in Boston, Massachusetts and Atlanta, Georgia
Owing to its internal underwriting capability, Simply Business can cover over 1,000 trade types – ranging from plumbers to accountants to dog walkers. An accredited B Corp for their positive social impact, Simply Business has also been voted the Sunday Times Best Company To Work For twice in a row.
