Seven businesses from the mortgage industry have joined together to launch the Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter (MIMHC).

The non-profit organisation is aiming to provide guidance, tips and a framework for firms looking to support the mental health of their staff.

Signatories to the charter have committed to developing mental health awareness among employees using activities and advocacy, encouraging open conversations about mental health and the support available, and promoting effective people management through line managers to ensure there is a focus on physical and mental wellbeing as well as performance.

The seven co-founding lenders are Crystal Specialist Finance, Coreco, Chartwell Mortgage Services, Landbay, The Brightstar Group, Knowledge Bank and SimplyBiz Mortgages.

Crystal Specialist Finance group sales and marketing director, Jason Berry, commented: “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.

“The pandemic has thrown the importance of our mental health into sharp focus, and I’m certain that the Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter will give businesses across the sector a helping hand in delivering best practice. We look forward to welcoming more signatories to the charter from across the industry.”

An annual review will be produced by the MIMHC to demonstrate how the mortgage industry is performing against key mental health metrics and whether the sector is progressing in improving the wellbeing of staff.

“The help that this initiative will provide will be far reaching, giving both companies and individuals a point of reference for valuable materials and guidance,” said Knowledge Bank founder and CEO, Nicola Firth. “We’re committed to making the path to both providing and receiving help with regards to mental health issues as easy as possible.”

Group CEO at The Brightstar Group, Rob Jupp, added: “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. We can all do more to help our friends, colleagues, family and ourselves when it comes to mental health and the Charter will help us to do that.”

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