Sally Ralston

Said the following about Michael Trippitt:

“Michael recognised that a colleague and a member of his staff was struggling with mental health. We believe that the actions that he took changed the member of staff’s life. Over a significant period, he had noticed that something was not right. He listened to his instinct and with his caring and genuine nature he approached the staff member to try and find out what was happening and that he was concerned. Of course, he spoke to them privately and his gut feeling told him that they were not in a good place. He used his years of experience and what he had learned during his career. It has been several months since his initial heart to heart with this member of staff and since then they have been able to confide in him and he has managed to keep that dialogue going. He has continued to support them throughout these months, and this has been a testament to him as a person and a manager. He has continued to work with the staff member and doctors to help them work towards getting better. Just by being there and available whenever the days become difficult and helping them get through it has been remarkable to see.

Michael recognised that his member of his staff was struggling with mental health and managed to find out that they were in a very bad place. They had hidden it well from everyone but because Michael is a genuine person who knows his staff well and has a good instinct he managed to get them to open up to him. If not for him, they would still be struggling and potentially in a far worse position. He has since supported them in every way he can and managed to help and support their mental health treatment. He has also supported their return to work and made it a comfortable experience. Whilst we would expect our managers to support their staff to the best of their ability we recognise that Michael went above and beyond what was expected and fully deserves this recognition.“