CitySprint is breaking down the outdated stigma associated with mental health through embedding The Circle Line in the daily lives of workers.
As CitySprint finalised a significant sale to DPD they called us in, recognising the challenges such a change could bring for their team as well as the challenges the 21st Century world was throwing at their staff.
And through CitySprint's progressive company-wide approach to mental health - candid discussion, robust support and proper investment - they’re seeing a real impact.
At CitySprint, employees know about us, use us, and come to us as their first point of call for any personal support they want. We’re working with the company full-circle: 1:1 therapy, groupwork and e-learning - all underpinned by a bespoke engagement programme.
As Debbie Bruce, Head of Talent, says:
“Before The Circle Line, we’d never had a partner like them. We have an EAP but it's not personal or going to impact our internal culture. Whereas The Circle Line is visible and human. Whether it’s planning a webinar on team dynamics, extending the service to an employee’s wife who’s been having a tough time after childbirth, or activating their crisis service - The Circle Line team are always there to help.”
Nick Cranston, Head of People Operations, describes The Circle Line as providing “prompt and robust support.”
And when it comes to people and mental health, robustness matters.
We’re about proactive self-development but we also step in in emergencies, working to tight ethical guidelines to help the most distressed employees. With a large workforce like CitySprint, full circle support is needed. And it needs to be effective.
Debbie explains,
“We wanted a partner that would have a real impact on both the individual and on our business.”
This requires a culture shift.
A mental health partner with a deeper understanding of people, quick access, a choice of therapist, and unlimited sessions. This is quite radical - usually mental health services cap their support at 4 or 6 sessions, often not enough time to see any real change. The Circle Line work differently; we’ve gathered enough data to predict the needs of a given workforce. So everyone gets what they need and the employer stands a far better chance of seeing real improvements in behaviour, performance and retention.
The core pillars offered by The Circle Line that have the psychological impact - 1:1 therapy, groupwork and e-learning - are always underpinned by a bespoke engagement programme, another progressive step.
CEO Gary West gets it, saying,
“We’re now regularly talking openly about mindset, it’s becoming part of our culture. Without the human touch that The Circle Line brings, any mental health support service becomes just an arms-length benefit that most employees don’t use. The Circle Line know how to connect and talk to our people. They normalise the subject and ensure we see real uptake and benefit from our investment.”
Long may we all benefit from pioneers like CitySprint - a business with a visionary CEO, a smart and empathic People team, and with hearts as well as heads well and truly switched on.
