Mental health and mortgages

"Ever-increasing numbers of people in the financial services industry are working from home, due to increases in self-employment and technological advances. The downside is it can leave you feeling isolated and lonely. So anything that encourages human interaction and the building of new relationships can only be a good thing. After all, we're all social beings, and it would be a sad world where we were all cut off from one another during our working lives."

"The Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter is just what is needed in the industry. This message needs to be spread far and wide as there are lots of brokers who would benefit from reaching out to this organisation for support. The world of the broker can be a lonely place if you are self-employed. As a director of a small team, we are lucky to benefit from like-minded people around us and we often take time out to go for a coffee, or have a team breakfast before a busy day simply to talk about how we are feeling and what support we need. This is vital, especially in the current climate where the pressures of getting the balance of life and work right for you can feel a challenge if you do not have the right support around you."

I am a huge advocate of looking after your mental health, having come from a previous industry where the phrase "man up" was the attitude and personally having seen some dark days, I now see my own mental health as a priority, Im fortunate enough to be self employed so I can take mental health breaks whether that being walking the hounds or taking a few moments to myself for a run or just listening to music. We all need to take time for ourselves.

We encourage shorter working hours and adopt a “work smarter /more productively – not longer” approach which gives our staff the benefits of an excellent work-life balance to collect their children from school, or attend a gym class. We even have two office “therapy” daschunds – Frankie and Bertie who are available to staff to cuddle and play with for an extra oxytocin hit! We also employed a dual qualified Advisor who is a fully qualified Counsellor and Specialist Mental Health Mentor. She is on hand to support staff with achievable goal setting, time management, organisational support and provides mental health support such as depression management and anxiety reduction strategies.