Today is world mental health day and whilst social media is alive with support, I can’t help but think about how mental health has become such a wider issue and how this has been responded to within organisations.
Long gone are the days where people “leave their problems at the door” before walking into their workplaces each morning, now there is a much greater emphasis for organisations to be more proactive when it comes to supporting employees mental health and wellbeing.
Promoting positive mental health at work is a great place to start, many employers have Employee Assistance Programmes, Occupational Health facilities and some are taking it that one step further by implementing Mental Health First Aiders within their businesses to proactively support employees.
With more than two thirds of employees hiding their mental health conditions from their employers, the weight of this alone can actually become more of a challenge than the condition itself, this is simply due to the stigma associated with mental health conditions. Therefore, it is important for employers to be open minded when it comes to looking out for the signs that an employee may require additional support.
The CIPD are currently working alongside mental health charities Mind and Heads Together with a view to end the stigma around mental health at work by changing how we approach mental health in the workplace.
Everyone is responsible for improving mental health within their workplace, it’s ok to talk about and share your experiences within your work environments, if anything, it is now essential that we speak up, otherwise the stigma will remain. Be vulnerable, share your own experiences, and hopefully we can support positive mental health for the long term and not just for world mental health day.
Natalie Ellis HR 