Rightmove appoints sixteen mental health first-aiders

Sixteen Rightmove employees have been trained and appointed mental health first-aiders to act as first line of support for any fellow colleagues experiencing distress.

The move comes after a survey among Rightmove employees found that challenges with mental health and wellbeing were more prevalent than physical health challenges over the past year. Since last March Rightmove has been running a number of online wellbeing sessions to help with the lockdowns and ongoing uncertainty.

The new mental health first-aiders have been through training and are accredited by Mental Health First Aid England, and the support available can vary from having non-judgemental conversations to guiding towards external support.

The presence of mental health first-aiders continues Rightmove’s work in helping to raise awareness of mental ill-health, encouraging employees to explore and talk freely about their feelings and experiences. The aim is to help to challenge any misperceptions relating to mental health, and to ensure people know that needing first-aid for their mental health is being made as easily available to them as needing physical first-aid. Undertaking the training can also help people by teaching them skills to support their own mental wellbeing.

The roles form part of a new wellbeing programme for Rightmove employees called ‘How We Thrive’ which also includes access to one-to-one sessions with mental health coaches from wellbeing company PUSH.

In the long-term Rightmove is planning for employees to work three days in the office and two days at home, with those who would prefer to be office-based five days a week able to do so

A build-up programme to help employees adjust back to office life will begin gradually from later this month when government guidance changes.

Rightmove’s Director of People & Development, Zoe Martin, says: “At Rightmove we look out for one another. Our mental health first-aiders will provide a support network to colleagues and friends who they can more easily turn to if they’re experiencing a mental health issue, with our first-aiders trained to listen and signpost any more support. I don’t think anyone knows yet what the new normal is going to look like in the longer term and it’s likely to come with further uncertainty and challenges, and we want to make sure everyone feels supported along the way. We hope that a gradual return to the office is going to help a number of people, especially those who have been working from home on their own, and we think it’s important to have flexibility for those who would like to work from home for two days each week.”