Mental Health Awareness 2024: The Synergy Scoop by Chloe Foy

Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 takes place in the UK from 13 to 19 May, on the theme of “Movement: Moving more for our mental health.”

We’re seeing more backlash to these appreciation days and weeks (namely International Women’s Day) possibly due to companies using the occasion to “pinkwash” their brands rather than actually act on women’s equality. So what about Mental Health Awareness Week? To what extent are employers expected to show a ‘duty of care’ and be responsible for mental health of their employees? Questions that leaders are asking in the boardroom but does the awareness week become a tick box exercise or are great things happening??

In case we weren’t clear on the impact poor mental health has on business, globally, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of $1 trillion per year in lost productivity. (WHO) 1 trillion!?

Discrimination and inequality, excessive workloads, low job control and job insecurity pose the biggest risks to mental health at work.??

I recently went to The Engage Summit in London last week where mental health activist and comedian superstar Ruby Wax was keynote and she said “Burnout: the chase is better than the kill, it’s not about what you get. There’s purpose in stress and some stress is good, it keeps us safe." Stress on stress is not good, that’s when we’re frazzled (the name of her bestseller). And I believe it’s essential to recognise the difference.?

This got me thinking of the growing trend in employers urging employees to ‘take ownership’ of their wellbeing. Can we rely on people recognising when they might be adding to their own stress, or rely on others to speak up when the company is adding to it???

Stress costs UK businesses 28 billion a year and it also has one of the lowest levels of productivity in Europe so something’s up. Doing more, isn’t always good for business.?

Stress feels purposeful. We get a dopamine hit when we’re stressed and that can become addictive. So when should employers step in??

Experian (a client of ours) won Gold at MIND’s workplace wellbeing awards last year by embedding mental health into their policies, training Mental Health First Aiders and scoring high on the wellbeing index. Combining a systemic and grassroots approach with commitments to on-going improvements is a deserved win.?

I believe in ‘sweating the small stuff’. How we interact with people and what we do daily can make a real difference.??

The ‘It’s OK to not be OK’ must be one of the most successful campaigns, why? Because it’s stretched beyond the campaign itself. Samaritans used it by sharing real stories of men opening up and sharing the fact that it’s best to talk. Suicide is still the biggest killer of men under the age of 50. Simply spotting out-of-character behaviours and inviting an honest conversation could not just save you money but it could save lives.?

As a Mental Health First Aider myself, we have the tools to have some of these conversations.?

With ‘movement’ being the theme for Mental Health Awareness Week, I’m sure most of us could take more breaks at work and step outside. Spending just five minutes outside helps us to feel happier, less stressed and one there are good studies that show quick breaks make us more productive and perform better (Journal of Positive Psychology).?

So what can employers do to support better mental health at work??

• Go beyond the wellbeing dimensions and be aware of people’s workloads and environments, offering support however possible?
• Go beyond resource provision, show empathy and role model behaviours (like taking breaks and going outside at lunch)?
• Go beyond comms and build allies, champions or First Aiders who know when and how to support people??

• Go beyond telling and talking about wellbeing but make time to look at ways of working, encourage, and really listen to how people are?

What will you do for mental health week??Let’s talk about supporting employee wellbeing.?

Chloe Foy is a Senior Consultant at McCann Synergy who specialises in Behavioural Science. To find out more, please contact [email protected]?