Fuel/interview: Pete Bell on mental health

Hot on the heels of World Mental Health Day in early October, Fuel/talk podcast host James Davis spoke with Cox Automotive Europe Chief Operations Officer Pete Bell about the importance of mental health. As well as being Board Sponsor for the subject, Bell is also one of more than 40 qualified Mental Health First Aiders within the business. He took on the role of mental health champion at the beginning of 2020 and starts by explaining how much has changed in that time.

“I think we can all probably agree that 2020 has been a year like no other,” comments Bell. “Our mental health and wellbeing have been stretched like never before as we’ve all gone through our different experiences and journeys with the pandemic.” Bell is keen to emphasise that this is not just a workplace or professional discussion, but one that also encompasses friends and family as well. Cox Automotive has always has a culture of care, with Bell highlighting that a focus on mental health and wellbeing is intrinsic to the organisation’s DNA.

Alongside a significant investment in Mental Health First Aiders across the business, Bell also took the opportunity to discuss how this year’s World Mental Health Day provided a focal point for a series of conversations. One example was the opportunity for European senior leadership team to hear from Andy Salkeld, author of ‘Life is a Four-Letter Word’. Within the book, Andy shares his personal mental health journey within a Big Four accountancy professional services environment. Bell comments: “During the leadership session, Andy helped us open up the conversation by sharing his own experience, pressure points and mental health challenges.”

Bell is keen to emphasise that mental health needs to be a year-round discussion. While World Mental Health Day and Andy’s presentation provided an opportunity to refocus attention on the subject, Cox Automotive has also kicked off several other initiatives. “We’ve hosted blogs from various team members and leaders on our intranet, role modelling and signalling that open conversations are important,” explains Bell. “Team members can also access resources from charities like Mind and BEN. We’ve also started ‘one-pledge’, which gives people the chance to commit to making or breaking a habit related to their mental health.”

As ambassador for mental health and a trained mental health first aider, Bell is aware that several approaches need to be taken to reach everyone within the organisation, mixing the serious content with a light-hearted tone to allow people to open up. He argues: “Mental health isn’t just about negatives, it’s also about positives. It is really important to me that we focus on those too.” Other initiatives include the ‘happy half hour’ where people can reach out to anyone else in the business for a virtual chat; as well as a crowdsourced playlist, the ‘Cox Classics Happy Playlist’. “Music works wonders with my mood,” says Bell, “so we thought it was a great way of getting people to contribute and having a bit of fun.”

Bell is not afraid to acknowledge that the automotive sector may have a certain demographic bias and culture which has historically, perhaps, made it difficult for people to open up. “It is really important that we give mental health more airtime. Words like being under pressure or stressed, which might have been used in the past, may have been seen as a sign of weakness. We must break that stigma.” Recognising the impact of Chief People Office, Alison Fisher, on the culture of the business, Bell echoes her refrain that “it is okay not to be okay.”

Building momentum, and clearly passionate about the subject, Bell highlights that COVID-19 is amplifying mental health issues. “No matter how dialled in anybody appears to be, in whatever profession – automotive, professional athlete, media, politician – often, below the surface, there is more going on than outwardly appears. COVID-19 means that is even more likely.” One of Cox Automotive’s values is ‘doing the right thing’ and Bell believes that makes it easier to create space for open or challenging conversations. Another value is ‘care’ and Bell emphasises that people are at the heart of everything they do: “Where we are today is something that we can be proud of. We really live and breathe our values.”

At least one in four people will be touched by poor mental health during their lives so, while Bell acknowledges that there is a stigma which still needs to be overcome, he asks the simple question: “Why would we not want to help one another through a difficult period?” This leads onto a discussion around Cox Automotive’s commitment to Mental Health First Aid. With 40 individuals already trained, and an aim to have 60 people qualified by the end of 2020, Bell highlights the importance of being able to offer non-judgemental support and signposting for anyone who is in need. “The idea of having mental health first aiders throughout the business is to provide another outlet for people to have a conversation confidentially and with confidence, outside of their usual line management structures.”

Another challenge for 2020 has been the shift to remote working and the potential for social isolation as a result. Bell outlines this has created both challenges and opportunities. Supporting charity partner, Mind, the Cox Automotive team could not climb Snowdon this year, but they did come up with the ‘SnowdIN’ challenge to get people out in fresh air. More than 100 people took part, raising over £10,000 for Mind. Board members Craig Mailey and Alison Fisher also ran the London Marathon. Cox Automotive is exploring further collaboration with Ben, the automotive industry charity, and opening up self-help resources to team members across the whole of Europe.

Returning to the topic of World Mental Health Day, Bell emphasises that for Cox Automotive this is more than just about one day: “We take pride in our culture, this is not a fad, we’re not just doing it for one day. This is a 365 day a year conversation for us and intrinsic to the way that we work. It is okay not to be okay and people need to know they can reach out to someone for help. We are creating that positive environment for our team members. I am proud to sponsor this initiative. You never know when you’ll need somebody to talk to.”

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To watch the full interview, click here or listen via Spotify or Apple Podcasts (search for Cox Automotive).