What is 'time to talk day?'
‘Time to Talk Day is the nation’s biggest mental health conversation. Happening every year, it’s a day for friends, families, communities, and workplaces to come together to talk, listen and change lives.’ - https://timetotalkday.co.uk/
Why should we try to open conversations about mental health in the workplace?
Work can play a big role when it comes to our mental health and wellbeing, so it’s important to be aware of how negative effects that may occur in the workplace can be mitigated, and what could be done by the workplace to assist with external mental health and wellbeing issues.
How do we open conversations about mental health in the workplace?
Firstly, time to talk day is a pretty good excuse to open up conversations, so that’s a great start – but what about the other 364 days of the year? Well here are a few non-offensive ways to ease into what can often be a tricky, but beneficial conversation.
Reduce stigma around it in the workplace.
As an employer, the best way to start the conversation is to get everyone on the same page, don’t tolerate stigma surrounding mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. Hopefully, addressing it with teams will lead to productive conversations surrounding the topic. In turn, this should help foster a supportive community within the workplace.
Repeat the question.
It’s all good and well asking ‘How are you?’ but that question is usually met with an empty response that gives no real insight – simple repeating and/or rephrasing the question can be a soft way to show that you weren’t making small talk and are actually interested in their wellbeing.
Practice patience.
Sometimes people may not want to talk about their mental health and wellbeing, and pushing an agenda of forced conversations can often do more damage than good. Be patient with people and take the time to understand their perspective of things. Don’t be intrusive in attempts to open conversation.
Keep the conversation open.
Speaking of avoiding intrusion, asking open-ended questions is a softer way to begin the conversations. Immediately breaking down an issue being explained to you can be quite overwhelming so try questions along the lines of:
‘Is there any way I can help?’
‘Has this been bothering you for a while?’
‘What does it feel like?’
We hope that you utilise time to talk day in your work environment and personal life this year. Take a moment to talk, listen, and change lives!
