“We are proud of the huge strides we have made when it comes to supporting our people with their mental health.”
Those were the words of TG Lynes General Manager Andrew Ingram as he reflected on Mental Health Awareness Week.
spent nearly two decades working with TG Lynes, Andrew has seen growth and changes in both the business and the industry.
Few, however, have been more tangible than the culture change that began in 2016 when colleagues enjoyed increasing support through the Employee Assistance Programme.
That kick-started an era of increased focus on individual colleague wellbeing, the most recent development of which has seen free access to an on-site counsellor, Elliot Chapman, once a fortnight, which many staff have found incredibly helpful.
“We’ve always cared about our people but six years ago we made a conscious decision that we would actively support our colleagues even further, in and out of work,” said Andrew
“That was the first step towards developing culture with a greater focus on not only wellbeing but also community, engagement and sustainability.
“Having Elliot on board has been a significant step forward and has been so important. I know many of our people have benefited from his professionalism and advice.
“We have plans for further support moving forward and we’re currently looking to name four or five mental health first aiders within the business.
“These will provide colleagues with more options of people to talk to, if and when they need assistance. Crucially, they will be at different levels of seniority as not everyone is comfortable talking to their line manager.
“We achieve together – and that’s the only way we’ll succeed.”
Andrew revealed he and other long-standing members of the TG Lynes team had truly embraced the culture change.
He added: “I’ve always been extremely proud to work for TG Lynes but the enhancements introduced in recent years have taken that to another level.
“Everyone has embraced the changes and how they reflect modern society. The massive strides we have made are celebrated by everyone who works for the business and we know the fantastic progress will continue in the months and years to come.
“The values of TG Lynes are based around caring and it’s fantastic to be involved with a company which has that at the heart of its ethos.”
