The MIMHC is a non-profit organisation founded by Crystal Specialist Finance, Coreco, Landbay, Chartwell Mortgage Services and The Brightstar Group. Knowledge Bank and Simplybiz Mortgages are also involved.
It follows recommendations made in the independent review into mental health at work in 2017 by Lord Dennis Stevenson and Paul Farmer, chief executive of mental health charity Mind.
The organisation’s steering group will set out to continuously produce reference material and practical support to support mental health and wellbeing.
Information will be available on its website www.MIMHC.co.uk. The site will also direct people to expert support.
An annual review will be produced by the organisation to demonstrate how the mortgage industry is performing against mental health metrics and whether the sector is progressing in improving the wellbeing of staff.
Signatories to the charter will commit to developing mental health awareness among employees, encouraging open conversations, providing employees with good working conditions that encourage a healthy work life balance. They must aim to promote people management through line managers to ensure there is a focus on wellbeing.
Signatories will also pledge to routinely monitor employee mental health and wellbeing through surveys and have a named contact for support.
Jason Berry, group sales and marketing director at Crystal Specialist Finance, said the pandemic highlighted the importance of mental health.
He said: “There is a lot of work for all of us across the mortgage industry to do in order to provide more substantial support to the mental health and wellbeing of our colleagues. I’m certain that the Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter will give businesses across the sector a helping hand in delivering best practice.”
Nicola Firth, founder and chief executive of Knowledge Bank, said the firm was “incredibly proud” to be co-founders of the charter and said the help it would provide would be far reaching.
Rob Jupp, group chief executive at The Brightstar Group, added: “We all have mental health, and we are all vulnerable to suffering poor mental health, which can often be debilitating and isolating. We’ve always taken mental health very seriously at Brightstar and we have a team of mental health first aiders available to help any of our people who may be suffering.
“I’m so pleased that this Mental Health Charter for the mortgage industry has got off the ground and absolutely delighted that Brightstar is a signatory to it.”
