Coronavirus uncertainty and isolation are having a huge impact on people’s mental and physical health.
In England, the Centre for Mental Health has predicted that up to 10m people, ranging from children to the elderly, will need mental health support as a direct consequence of the pandemic. The places where people can seek the support they need is varied, but in some cases may be more limited due to the impact of the virus.
We spend most of our life ‘at work’, and our colleagues are typically the people we talk to the most often, whether about work or what we do outside of it. Having a colleague or someone else at work that you can open up to about your mental and physical health is vitally important.
This is why we introduced our Mental Health Programme a few years ago. Since then we have made huge progress in our aim to create a culture that is open, honest and supportive. What’s been incredibly reassuring, but equally fundamental to that progress, is seeing our people open up to one another about their own mental health struggles, and I am very proud of the support and kindness they have shown each other.
Recently, one of our employees bravely and selflessly shared their story on our intranet about how they were suicidal a few years ago. They shared the story because they wanted to shed some light on what goes through someone’s mind when they decide to take their own life.
Thankfully, they received the support they needed to get themselves into a better place – and they got there by speaking up and seeking help. It was a harrowing read, but one I am sure has been of immense help to many other people, whether they are experiencing the same feelings, have loved ones who have felt the same way, or want to better understand what goes through someone’s mind in that moment.
Seeing the support this person received encouraged others to share their stories, too. This encouraged some who had been privately suffering to seek help for the first time. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has spoken out. How much their experiences have helped or positively impacted someone’s life, they may never know. But I’d like to thank them for helping to make our environment a place where people feel safe to open up and are supported while they get help.
Two sides to every story
I believe there are two sides to having positive and effective conversations around mental health. The person who is speaking up about their mental health needs to feel comfortable and safe to share their story. And those they open up to need to know how to handle it without fear of saying the wrong thing, judgement, or prejudice.
As part of our Mental Health Programme, we provide all line managers with mental health awareness training. The key to this training is equipping managers with the knowledge and skills to talk about mental illness. When one of our regional line managers returned to their office and told their team that they attended the training, it encouraged one of the team members to open up about their diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
Because of the training they had, the line manager was able to ask open questions including: how does it manifest itself? How do you keep it under control? How do you know when an episode is about to manifest? And, most importantly, what would you like us to do to support you if we see those signs?
In a separate conversation, the employee expressed how grateful they were that they could open up to someone, and the fact that their diagnosis was met with some understanding and without judgement.
Be kind
A huge part of removing the stigma around mental health is to ensure no one is made to feel bad when they open up about how they feel, and that’s something we’re very adamant about at Hollis.
As employers, we must create an environment where our employees feel comfortable talking about their mental health just as much as their physical health. We must empower those who are approached by someone who would like to open up to handle such conversations with confidence. It’s a two-way street: one without the other doesn’t work.
This year has completely changed the way we live. No one knows how long this new way of living and working will last, but what we do know is that being kind to one another, raising awareness and normalising conversations about mental health has never been more important to ensure we not only survive, but also thrive in the months ahead.
Mel Olrik is a partner at Hollis
