This year, World Mental Health Day takes place on Monday 10th October, 2016.
World Mental Health Day was created by the World Federation For Mental Health to occur on the 10th October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilising efforts in support of mental health. It is a day for mental health education, awareness and advocacy, all across the globe.
Stress-related mental health issues are rising at an unprecedented pace. By 2020, the World Health Organisation predicts stress-related mental health issues will be second only to heart disease in the causes of disabilities worldwide.
As workplace stress is a key contributor to these rising levels, it is vital that companies and organisations address workplace stress in a way that supports, educates and empowers employees to care for their own mental health, and to feel able to reach out when there is a problem. In the UK, 70 million days are lost from work each year due to mental ill health, making it the leading cause of sickness absence (Department of Health 2015).
The three central tenets for providing a duty of care to the mental health of employees are:
Awareness for all employees of stress-related mental health issues, the symptoms and underlying causes, and how to self-care;
Prevention of stress-related mental health issues through regular, effective workplace stress management and mindfulness programmes, accessible to all employees;
Remedy of mental health issues for employees who are struggling with workplace stress or personal problems – through accessible, on-site, confidential support services provided by fully qualified professionals.
How can your company use World Mental Health Day as a springboard for providing employees with a more mentally-healthy workplace?
Please get in touch if you’d like some ideas or to start a conversation around employee mental health in your workplace:
or visit our website at www.mindfulnessintheworkplace.org