World Mental Health Day - Sunday 10 October
Today is World Mental Health Day and the theme this year is ‘Mental Health in an Unequal World’.
Stats from Mental Health UK show that 1 in 4 of us will experience mental health problems each year. That could be a family member, a friend, a colleague, or it could be you.
The pandemic and various lockdowns have affected many people’s mental health and elevated concerns for those already living with a mental illness. At ICCI, we take great care to ensure we create and provide a supportive working environment, free from any form of discrimination, for our team to talk about their mental health through our ‘wellness’ conversations.
It can be tricky to know how to reach out, or find the right words, which is why we have a dedicated trained Mental Health First Aider to handle these conversations with our team sensitively.
Michelle Steele, our HR & PR Executive and qualified MHFA said: 'The health and wellbeing of our team is of paramount importance to us and by providing an open space where our team can bring their whole self to work, we are in a better position to understand their needs and find flexible ways of working to support their positive mental health. We actively encourage working from home one day per week, we have implemented a ‘Dress For Your Day’ policy and a ‘Golden Hour’ each day, dedicated for our teams to use how they wish during the day. We also encourage and train our leaders to reach out to their team and spot early warning signs of mental health issues within their teams. We are committed to making a difference to our team.'
The 2021 World Mental Health Day campaign provides an opportunity for us all to come together and raise awareness. It takes courage to talk about how you really feel. Don’t let it all build up and if you’re struggling there is always help available. See MHFA UK's My-Whole-Self-MOT-check-in leaflet for a few simple steps you can take to help yourself or others around you.
