The mental health of insurance professionals came under increased scrutiny in 2021 as the impact that prolonged remote working and uncertainty around COVID-19 is having on people became steadily clearer. Many industry discussions around mental wellbeing emphasised the stigma that still lingers around the topic and the need for financial services organisations to throw their weight behind their people and open up new conversations.
But as noted by Stephen Card (pictured), chairman of Carbon Underwriting Ltd and ambassador for the mental health charity My Black Dog – the best medicine for curing stigma is for people to share their experiences and use them to help others. He highlighted that when he retired from Charles Taylor in 2017, he found himself at quite a low point, questioning his purpose now that he was no longer working full time.
That questioning went right to the heart of who he is as a person, he said, and while he is lucky to have wonderful support from his family, it became clear that he required further help. Card highlighted he was fortunate to access very good help, very quickly and that when he came out the other side of that dark period, he could see how essential it is that people have access to support services at the immediate time of their need.
“A member of my family actually is a volunteer with My Black Dog,” he said. “It was they who suggested, ‘when you step down as CEO of Carbon, I know you’re going to want to do something else. Why don’t you have a word with Niki [Clarke, CEO and founder]?’ I talked to Niki about it and told her I’ve got time on my hands, I’ve got a reasonably good black book having spent 40 years in the insurance market, can I help in some way?
“I think that we’ve got a real need in the insurance market for the services that My Black Dog offers. Because one of the issues that a lot of people come across, and I certainly did, is that feeling of ‘who do I talk to? I don’t want to talk to HR about this because if they talk to my company then my line manager might make judgement calls about me.’ Right or wrong, the perception is that HR is the company and you don’t want to disclose to the company that you’re going through these issues.”
That’s what makes My Black Dog so great, he said, as it’s completely anonymous and completely independent, which allows people to open in ways that they might not feel comfortable doing within an organisation. The charity was set up by Clarke who went through her own wellbeing challenges and realised there wasn’t a support network out there for those who just want to talk to other people.
The online chat function was created with a view to giving individuals a platform to discuss their concerns on a peer-to-peer basis with people who have already been through mental health challenges of their own and want to give back. My Black Dog sits somewhere between the services offered by the NHS and those available from the Samaritans. It’s not supposed to be a suicide helpline, he said, and referrals will be given to anybody at that point as appropriate.
“This is a big gap in accessing services or accessing servicing a time-efficient way,” Card said. “Because when you’re going through things and you come to the realisation that you need help, you need to be able to reach out then and there. Getting hold of a GP appointment is a nightmare and then you’ll be referred and it will take ages to get really good help. The NHS is very good but it’s under huge stress and Samaritans is great but most people who access Samaritans are really at the end of their tether. That area in between is where My Black Dog sits.”
The charity has grown enormously in terms of volunteers recently but it’s still not a 24-hour service and, as an ambassador, Card is looking to help raise its profile. Many across the insurance industry require its services and he wants to make them aware that this exists, he said, but he’d also like to encourage any potential volunteers to get involved and help expand the service. The need is there and My Black Dog requires the support of every nature to reach those in need.
“We’re looking for people to become ambassadors for the business, to help support us financially,” he said. “If people would like to volunteer as the mentors with My Black Dog, that’d be fantastic as well because then you’re meeting that need across the market. Perhaps with more people from an insurance background acting as volunteers, you would then be able to relate more closely to those from the market who would be accessing the service.”
