Board Hand-off Memo — Manager Mental Health Module
One-page DOCX. Sent to the HR sponsor 5 working days BEFORE the first cohort, so they can brief the exec sponsor and the executive team understands what's about to happen in their organisation.
Page header
MEMO To: {HR Sponsor Name} From: MEM Academy — Corporate Programmes Date: {Date} Re: Manager Mental Health Training — exec brief + what we expect
What's happening
{Number} of your line managers will complete a 3-hour intensive on {Course Date(s)}. By the end they will be measurably better at spotting the early signs of burnout in their direct reports, opening the conversation, adjusting workload, and signposting safely.
This memo gives you everything you need to brief your exec sponsor in 90 seconds and to answer any question the board may ask in the next 30 days.
The exec sponsor 90-second brief
The shift we're making: From reactive (EAP responds when someone reaches crisis) to proactive (line managers spot the pattern six weeks earlier and act).
What's different about this programme:
- The 4-Signal Model is MEM-original IP. No other UK provider (MHFA England, Mind, ACAS, Bupa) teaches a pre-crisis pattern model. Managers leave with one tool, not twelve.
- The 30-day reinforcement nudge sequence prevents the 70% behaviour-change fade that kills most training. No incumbent ships this.
- Lived-experience co-facilitation is a held slot, not a guest spot. The story your managers hear at minute 60 is what makes the practice stick at minute 110.
- Every employee seat funds a free seat for someone leaving prison. Audited SROI lands in your Q1 board report. This is a wellbeing programme that doubles as your S in ESG-S.
What we expect in the first 30 days
| Indicator | Target | How we'll know |
|---|---|---|
| Manager-level satisfaction | ≥4.5 / 5 | Day-30 pulse (in the nudge sequence) |
| Managers who opened ≥1 supportive conversation | ≥70% | Day-30 self-report |
| Managers who made ≥1 workload adjustment | ≥50% | Day-30 self-report |
| Manager-level confidence (pre vs post) | +1.5 points on 5-pt scale | Compared at day 1 and day 30 |
These four indicators land in your Q1 board report alongside the SROI numbers. No clinical outcomes are claimed. This is not therapy and the data does not pretend to be.
What the board may ask + how to answer
"Is this Mental Health First Aid?" No. MHFA-style courses focus on crisis recognition. This focuses on the daily line-management moments — workload, energy, recovery — which is where most workplace mental-health damage actually accumulates.
"What's our legal exposure if a manager runs the conversation badly?" The HSE Management Standards and the Equality Act 2010 already require employers to assess and manage work-related stress and to consider reasonable adjustments. A manager who has documented attendance on this programme + uses our framework + signposts to EAP is the strongest evidence you can show that the duty was met. Doing nothing is the higher-risk position.
"Is this CPD-certified?" CPD-aligned, not CPD-certified by a chartered body. We are honest about this — and it is part of why managers trust the room. Each attendee receives a certificate they can self-claim against their own professional body's CPD hours.
"What if a manager hears something clinical?" The programme is explicit about the boundary: managers do not diagnose. They notice patterns, run a supportive conversation, and signpost to EAP, GP, MEM coach, or Samaritans 116 123. The boundary is taught in three separate slots and printed on the pocket-card.
What we need from you
- Send the welcome email (template attached) to the attendee list 7 days before the course.
- Confirm the EAP number and the internal HR escalation route — these print on the pocket-card.
- Block the exec sponsor's diary for the day-30 readout — 30 minutes, virtual, walks the four indicators above.
- Decide whether to commission the Champion Programme before day 60. The 90-day window is when the energy is still in the room.
Cross-cutting promises (on every MEM deliverable)
- Social impact — Every UK employee seat funds a free seat for someone leaving prison. Audited SROI in every quarterly report.
- Lived experience — Held slot in every cohort. Not decorative.
- Board-grade reporting — Every output is built so the line "and here's what changed for the business" is the easiest one to write.
Contact
{Programme Lead Name}, MEM Academy {Email} · {Direct line} Want this adapted for your sector? Book a 20-min discovery call: memacademy.org/corporate/programme