I Can't Talk...

Today marks Day Four of mental health awareness week and I’ve been itching to write a post every single day. I’m a huge fan of this week, and I believe that empowering individuals to talk is really important. 

As a young professional, I felt massively ashamed of admitting something was wrong. I was worried that if I did my employer at the time would get me on capability grounds. As someone that has been through many challenges I felt a sense of shame around opening up. 

The idea/encouragement to open up around mental health is brilliant. However, the reality is as an employer no matter how many statistics you state (1in4people will experience mental health) or resources you offer in isolation those things don’t work. 

Employers need to invest in staff, empower them and create a safe space to talk. A lot of employers can talk about what they have put in place to support individuals but the reality is if you have poor staff morale the likelihood is you will experience more staff sickness. Now that isn’t because staff can’t be bothered coming in. I believe there is a direct correlation between the right working environment and positive mental health/well being. 

Remember as an employee we spend around 50% of our waking hours in work. If you’ve spoken out but you feel unsupported or people are looking at you differently then maybe it’s time for a change, call it quits and find an organisation that does completely support you and creates the right environment! 

Apologies for my early morning rant this is a subject I’m really passionate about. If anyone would like to grab a coffee and talk in more detail then please let me know and if your currently struggling then please drop me a message.