Time To Talk

With 1 in 4 of us experiencing a mental health problem, there has never been a better time for your workplace to get involved in Time to Talk Day tomorrow - Thursday 6th February 2020.

The more conversations we have about mental health, the more myths we can bust and barriers we can break down – helping to end the isolation, shame and worthlessness that too many of us feel when experiencing a mental health problem.

The day provides an opportunity for you and your business to add to the wider conversation that will be occurring on social media, television and elsewhere. You should highlight work you are already doing to address mental health stigma in the workplace, and perhaps introduce new and targeted activities anchored to the event. I encourage you all to consider how you can create awareness raising opportunities for all your employees, raising their overall level of understanding of mental health.

Games, social events and activities can be fantastic opportunities to start up a mental health conversation in a way that does not appear intimidating or awkward. Perhaps organise a quiz:-

• a quick and easy mental health quiz with a key message about how common mental health problems are and it true picture;

• a mental health myth buster quiz to help understand the incidence of common problems and understanding the impany they have on a person;

• you can even organise a mental health wordsearch for employees to become more familiar with mental health definitions;

There are a lot of sign posts out there for employees – Samaritans, Mind Infoline, Rethink Mental Illness Advice Line, BEAT, Saneline.  Plus, ensure your employees are aware of these as well as the use of your Employee Assistance Programme benefit if you offer one.