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Mental health has become an increasingly spoken about topic in recent years, but why is it so important to talk about?

Mind’s research confirms that a culture of fear and silence around mental health is costly to employers:

• More than one in five (21%) agreed that they had called in sick to avoid work when asked how workplace stress had affected them.
• 14% agreed that they had resigned and 42% had considered resigning when asked how workplace stress had affected them.
• 30% of staff disagreed with the statement 'I would feel able to talk openly with my line manager if I was feeling stressed'.
• 56% of employers said they would like to do more to improve staff wellbeing but don't feel they have the right training or guidance.

Starting a conversation about mental health doesn’t have to be difficult. There seems to be a significant shift happening amongst businesses, where employers are looking to be proactive in their approach to mental health, through facilitating a comfortable and open space for people to speak out. However, within society there is still a lot of work to be done to tackle the stigma, to give people the confidence to speak up and support them through any struggles.

We can all help to promote positive and healthy wellbeing through simply speaking about the topic; checking in on friends, family, colleagues; supporting mental health charities, such as Mind or Samaritans and simply being kind to those around you.