Fosters Family Funeral Directors partners with SAMH to support workers

Fosters Family Funeral Directors has partnered with the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH), to provide virtual positive mental health workshops for staff across the business.

The collaboration between Fosters and SAMH will see all 109 employees –  ranging from the CEO and senior management team to funeral arrangers across all parlours – take part in ‘Maintaining Wellbeing’ sessions, delivered by the Scottish charity’s mental health training programme via Zoom.

In addition, the senior leadership team will complete a ‘Mental Health in the Workplace’ workshop, delivered through specially trained instructors from the charity, with the aim of “increasing awareness and obtaining crucial skills in managing mental health in the workplace”. 

Robert MacLachlan, Fosters Family Funeral Directors CEO, said: “Throughout the pandemic our key worker staff have given their all to ensure bereaved families are provided with the very best of compassionate and professional care

“In turn it is our duty to ensure that our dedicated people, who are the backbone of our business, receive the best possible guidance and support. Our partnership with SAMH will help equip staff at all levels with the skills to look after their mental well-being and support one another.”

Oxana MacGregor-Gunn, head of employment at SAMH, added:  “We are delighted to be working with Fosters Family Funeral Directors through our mental health training programme, SAMH Workplace. 

“With 2021 set to be another challenging year, businesses need to make sure the wellbeing of their employees is made a priority in order to weather the storm. It’s encouraging to see organisations like Fosters taking action and ensuring their staff are provided with the right support and skills.”

Foster Family Funeral Directors currently operates 17 parlours across Scotland, including Glasgow and Edinburgh.