The lender said that, by signing the Mental Health Charter, it is “demonstrating its commitment to ensuring a culture of openness and compassion surrounding mental health for all mortgage professionals through greater understanding and appropriately delivered support”.
As part of the charter, the bank commits to developing mental health awareness among employees, encouraging open conversations about mental health and support available to struggling employees and offering employees good working conditions that encourage a healthy work/life balance and development opportunities.
Other commitments include promoting effective people management through line managers, routinely monitoring employee mental health and wellbeing through surveys and regular contact and having a named contact for mental health support.
Alan Longhorn (pictured), head of sales, distribution and marketing at Bank of Ireland for Intermediaries, said: “We recognise that in order to best deliver for our customers, we need to prioritise our colleagues’ wellbeing to ensure they are thriving, happy and healthy.
“At Bank of Ireland, we have embedded a structured and strategic approach to wellbeing [that] provides a range of supports as well as helps reduce stigma by normalising conversations around mental health.
“We are delighted to become a signatory to the Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter and look forward to working in collaboration across the industry to help drive meaningful and lasting change on this important issue.”
Jason Berry, co-founder of the MIMHC and group sales director at Crystal Specialist Finance, said: “I am delighted to welcome Bank of Ireland for Intermediaries as a signatory to MIMHC. There is undoubtedly a combined commitment to encourage positive mental health and wellbeing for all those people operating in the mortgage sector.
“Our 2024 MIMHC calendar has many fun activities along with useful webinar sessions where best practices will be shared across our signatories. I very much look forward to Bank of Ireland’s participation and hugely appreciate the commitment shown to become a signatory.”
Other recent signatories of the charter include Paragon and Saffron.
