Championing wellbeing in the leisure sector

During this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, Maximus and Sandwell Leisure Trust (SLT) came together to raise awareness about the importance of mental health support. Throughout the week, joint activities were held across the SLT network, engaging with staff and visitors to foster meaningful conversations around mental health and wellbeing.

Supporting mental health in the workplace

This initiative went beyond awareness – it marked SLT’s official signing up to the free Access to Work Mental Health Support Service provided by Maximus, making this valuable resource available to all SLT employees.

Recognising the critical role good mental health plays in the workplace, SLT has fully embraced the opportunity to partner with Maximus. With 217 employees dedicated to delivering high-quality sport and leisure services, SLT is committed to embedding a positive culture and building trust by providing additional support through the service.

Empowering employees to prioritise mental health

Gemma Ellis, Head of People at SLT, explained: “Partnering with Maximus will enhance the support we already provide to our colleagues. Being able to access the services Maximus provide will help with employee’s mental health and wellbeing, improve attendance at work which in turn will improve our service to customers.

“We care about our colleagues, and we understand that people perform better if their mental wellbeing is looked after. We also know that challenges outside of work can sometimes impact work, so we want to support our colleagues the best way we can and if that involves having additional help to hand, we will.”

The partnership gives SLT employees independent access to mental health support, complementing their existing internal resources such as wellbeing champions, mental health first aiders and SLT’s involvement with Thrive at Work.

Work-focused support

Gemma concluded: “The benefits are already being felt with improvements in staff morale, attendance and overall wellbeing, enhancing the service we provide to the community. We welcome the partnership with Maximus as a valuable resource to our employees.”

Grateful for the opportunity to discuss the service, Clive Thomas, Partnership Lead at Maximus, said: “I feel privileged to be able to talk about the Access to Work Mental Health Support Service. From the conversations I’ve already had with SLT employees, it’s apparent that the support our service offers is welcomed.”