This week (6th February 2025) celebrates Time to Talk Day
Time to Talk Day is an annual awareness day held at the beginning of February. It’s one of the many opportunities through the year to start a conversation about mental health and it’s main purpose is to encourage everyone to come together to talk, listen and change lives.
Every conversation matters, big or small. Anyone can experience mental health problems at some point in life. Anxiety and depression are the most common and responsible for over half of all ill-health at work. There are lots of ways you can get conversations going and they don’t always have to be formal. It could range anywhere between planning in a coffee catch-up with the whole team to holding a day of one-to-one meetings with staff members.
It’s important to build supportive relationships where people feel comfortable to talk about any challenges they’re experiencing.
If someone is struggling…
If you think that a worker is having problems, encourage them to talk to someone. It could be a trusted colleague, their line manager, a trade union representative, GP, or occupational health team if they have access to one.
Managing mental health at work
Although employers have a legal duty to protect employees from stress at work, diagnosing and treating stress isn’t their responsibility.
Employers have a responsibility to identify the risks of stress and act on them to improve conditions at work. That might mean making adjustments and helping someone manage a mental health problem at work.
Mental ill health costs UK employers over £34.9 billion each year. In the latest HSE statistics released 2023/24 it shows that 776,000 workers suffering work-related stress, depression or anxiety. A staggeringly high amount but thankfully 99,000 less than last year. The more we know and understand, the more we can prevent, manage, and treat ill health.
Not only does February bring Time to Talk Day, this week is also Children’s Mental Health week and this year’s theme is “Know Yourself, Grow Yourself” which is about encouraging children, young people and adults to embrace self-awareness and explore what it means to them. This will help them grow and develop resilience to cope with what life throws at them.
The more conversations we all have, the better life is – even the simplest conversation has the power to change lives.
Talking about mental health isn’t always easy and life is so busy these days. Make sure you always find the time to have a conversation to support Mental Health.
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