Are you ok? – having conversations about mental health at work
14 May 2021
On Thursday 13 May, as part of Mental Health Awareness Week, GGI hosted a workshop to help people recognise mental health in the workplace.
According to the Mental Health Foundation, mental health problems are the leading cause of sickness absence, accounting for about 70 million lost workdays every year in the UK, at an annual cost to employers of around £2.4 billion.
The workshop was run by Steps, a global behaviour change consultancy with over 28 years’ experience in creating facilitated, interactive learning and development programmes that inspire people to act differently.
Questions addressed during the session included:
- How do you ensure the wellbeing and mental health for you and your teams?
- How do you spot the signs that a colleague is struggling in either a virtual or face to face world and how do you begin to have effective conversations about it?
The workshop asked that key question ‘are you ok?’ and addressed how to have effective and honest conversations with colleagues about mental health at work.
Utilising a blend of drama-based exercises, theory and facilitated discussion, the session:
- highlighted how to identify signs of unhealthy stress levels and common mental health issues in yourself and in colleagues
- discussed the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on team members in terms of mental health and wellbeing at work
- offered a toolkit to facilitate effective conversations surrounding these issues, along with ways to help yourself and your team members who are suffering via emotional support and practical support and advice.
