BOSSES at a city property consultancy have pledged to tackle the stigma around mental health in the workplace.

They have signed a pledge for Fisher German to become a Time to Change employer, committing to help change the way people think and act about mental health in the workplace.

Time to Change is a campaign run by Rethink Mental Illness and Mind, funded by Comic Relief, the Lottery Community Fund and the Department of Health and Social Care, and is supported by more than 1,200 organisations across the UK.

It was set up to create a positive shift in public attitudes towards mental health problems.

To join the movement, the firm has agreed a 12-month action plan which will promote positive mental health in the workplace and provide support to its employees.

Last year saw Fisher German, which has an office in Worcester, train mental health first aiders and create specialist mental health first aid kits for use across its offices.

And this year, the firm is set to focus on implementing a mental health at work plan, encouraging open conversation about mental health and the support available when employees are struggling, ensuring employees have a healthy work life balance and are routinely monitoring their mental health and wellbeing.

Fisher German’s HR director Maria Hawley said: “There is so much positive work being done across Fisher German already to help us understand more about mental health, signpost our colleagues to support and to recognise when mental ill health can impact our ability to be the best we can be, not just at work but also at home.

“Over the past 12 months we have trained mental health first aiders, created mental health first aid kits, tackled Movember and raised awareness of numerous different mental health issues to colleagues, from stress to suicide awareness.

“Joining the Time to Change movement is a formal commitment to take our workplace mental health campaign even further and ensure we are doing all we can to attract and retain a talented workforce who feel their mental and physical health is looked after.”

Time to Change was launched in 2007 and is aimed at breaking down the stigmas surrounding mental health.

An estimated one in four people will suffer from a mental health issue at some stage in their life.