Legal & General Now Accepting Submissions for the Not A Red Card Awards

Our thinkBeyond client, and mental health awareness advocates, Legal & General are now open to entries for their inaugural Not A Red Card Awards – celebrating best practice for mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. 

In 2017, Legal & General began using sport as a way to raise awareness of, and de-stigmatise talking about, mental health in the workplace through their Not A Red Card campaign. They hosted a forum at Twickenham last October that brought together leading voices from sport and business to raise awareness, educate and implement programmes that will make the workplace a more open environment to talk about mental health.

Following the launch of Legal & General’s ground breaking Not A Red Card campaign, the leading life insurer will host the first ever Not A Red Card Awards. The Awards will celebrate organisations and individuals that have developed and implemented best practices around addressing mental health in the workplace. Whether it be an HR department set up to welcome the discussion of mental health, a truly innovative programme for preventive care, or an initiative for awareness and education, any business large or small can apply.

The closing date for entries for the Not A Red Card awards is 3rd August, 2018. The Awards Finalists will be announced on 21st September, 2018 and the Winners will be revealed and celebrated at a special ceremony at the Not A Red Card Forum in late October, 2018. 

The Awards represents the next step in a continuation of Legal & General’s 'Not A Red Card' campaign that has been using sporting messages, values and talent to help employees and employers understand the support available to address mental health issues in their place of work - and that talking about mental health is Not A Red Card offence!

Nigel Wilson, chief executive of Legal & General, said: "“We are excited to be able to further develop our successful Not A Red Card campaign to tackle the stigma often unfairly associated with to mental health in the workplace, by transforming ideas into action to ensure that businesses are looking for improvements within their own strategies."

The Awards will be spread across five categories that will range in subject matter and reward organisations and individuals alike for their efforts. More information about the awards, and other forward steps for the campaign, will be shared in the near future. Follow #NotARedCard or visit the website for details on how to enter!

The five award categories are: 

The Collaboration Award

An initiative that brought together different stakeholders to address mental health in the workplace.

In addition to the Awards basic principles and general criteria, the entry must show:

• How a partnership approach has achieved results
• Cross-sector and/or cross-industry engagement
• Engagement of specific mental health expertise to ensure the initiative is fit for purpose

Innovative Use of Sport Award 

A company that has used sport to raise awareness, educate or address mental health issues in the workplace. In addition to the Awards basic principles and general criteria, the entry must show:

• How you and your company has used sports to achieve results
• How your approach has been unique or different to other campaigns or programmes that have been delivered recently 

Best Mental Health Initiative SME

Open to organisations with less than 500 employees. A programme that enabled and empowered employees and employers alike to discuss, learn and take steps toward addressing mental health issues in the workplace. In addition to the Awards basic principles and general criteria, the entry must show:

• How the initiative has achieved results
• How the initiative has engaged all stakeholders, ie senior leadership, employees, partners/clients/consumers
• How the initiative links into the business objectives of the organisation

Best Mental Health Initiative Large Companies

Open to organisations with over 500 employees. A programme that enabled and empowered employees and employers alike to discuss, learn and take steps toward addressing mental health issues in the workplace. In addition to the Awards basic principles and general criteria, the entry must show:

• How the initiative has achieved results
• How the initiative has engaged all stakeholders, ie senior leadership, employees, partners/clients/consumers
• How the initiative links into the business objectives of the organisation

Inspiration Award

An individual that has made an act, effort, or statement that inspired people to be more active in discussing and addressing mental health issues in the workplace, or who has spearheaded an effort to make the workplace more conducive to discussing mental health.

If you have any questions about submitting an entry or attending the Forum, e-mail [email protected]