Marks and Spencer signed the Time to Change organisational pledge today, becoming the first retailer to pledge to tackle stigma and discrimination within their workforce. They join a growing group of over 150 organisations, from private sector employers to universities and councils, who are promoting a better understanding of mental health problems and offering support to their staff.

Samantha Veasey, Head of Health and Employee Wellbeing at M&S says: “I fully support the Time to Change campaign and I'm delighted M&S can demonstrate this by signing the pledge and joining the movement to end mental health stigma.”

Sue Baker, Director of Time to Change, said: “It’s great to see M&S become the first retailer to pledge to address mental health among its workforce, and we hope others will follow suit. We are seeing unprecedented support from many different industries who now see the importance of tackling mental health stigma and discrimination.

“Many leading companies have found that making a strategic commitment to the mental wellbeing of their workforce not only has benefits for their staff but also benefits their bottom-line, improving productivity and staff retention. With one in four people experiencing mental illness it's time for businesses to work on their approach and start creating more mentally healthy workplaces."

Find out more about what you can do to tackle stigma and discrimination in your organisation.