Leeds Wellbeing and Mental Health Awareness Week is upon us. It’s an opportunity for everyone to reflect on their own mental health and that of friends, colleagues and peers. The commonly used statistic is that 1 in 4 people suffer in this way with anxiety and depression being the most common.
From a business perspective over 70 million work days are lost per year due to poor mental health but this could be reduced with more companies making mental health a real priority.
Did you know:
- 1 in 5 people take a day off work due to stress
- Less than half of employees feel they could talk to their line manager about suffering from stress
- In the last 6 years, the number of working days lost to stress, depression and anxiety has increased by 24%
- A quarter of people consider resigning due to stress
- The UK has the fourth highest rate of antidepressant prescriptions in Europe at 50 million per year
- In a survey of UK adults, 56% said they would not hire someone with depression even if they were the best candidate for the job
Both Leeds Wellbeing Week and Mental Health Awareness Week start on 13th May 2019, so now is the perfect time to start conversations around what people can do to combat mental health issues.
Do something different for Leeds Wellbeing Week & Mental Health Awareness Week
This is there is no better time to get people engaged with talking about mental health problems, do something in your workplace during the week.
Whether it’s a craft session or a yoga class or even just a lunchtime walk with your colleagues, try something to relieve stress.
End the taboo
Mental Health is still a taboo subject in most workplaces, 67% of employees feel scared, embarrassed or unable to talk about mental health concerns with their employer.
To break taboo try speaking out on the issue. If directors and managers are doing so then more people across the business will do the same and feel more comfortable to doing so.
Identify a ‘champion’
Employee champions drive for change internally and help create positive change within the workplace. They tackle mental health stigma and come up with different ideas on how to improve wellbeing amongst their fellow employees.
Why not ask around the office and see who would want to be an employee champion. It doesn’t have to be a manager or anyone in particular, just someone who is up for the challenge. I’ll definitely be trying it at work!
You can read more about employee champions here >> https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/get-involved/get-your-workplace-involved/employee-champions/what-employee-champion
Nobody wants to see the people around them suffering. If you’re feeling low or think someone close to you is struggling, have a look at some of the websites below to see what help is available.
Samaritans:
Tel: 0116 123 (24 hours a day free to call)
https://www.samaritans.org
Mind Infoline:
Tel: 0300 123 3393
https://www.mind.org.uk
Statistics from: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/CR00233_Ebook_dualbranded_interactive.pdf
