Mental health at work: It’s more than just reducing sick leave

“This isn’t a sad story, this isn’t ‘woe is me’. This is ‘I felt really sad, I spoke to Samaritans, I got help from my GP and now I’m in such a good place’”.

This week, TV star Scarlett Moffatt told BBC Breakfast how she reached out to Samaritans at her lowest point, after experiencing horrific online trolling. It takes a lot of courage to open up to someone about not feeling okay — let alone then sharing it with a national audience. But it’s crucial to helping break down one of the biggest barriers to accessing help for mental health issues: stigma.

The Time to Change campaign aimed to end mental health stigma and part of its model was to encourage open conversations about the topic — particularly in the workplace. Sadly, last year its funding was stopped, but over 12 years it saw a 12.7% improvement in attitudes towards mental health amongst UK adults. It shows that being more open about our mental health, talking about it more, breaks down barriers.

At Kindred, where I work, we’re committed to ‘bringing our whole selves to work’. It’s one of our core values. A huge part of that is supporting — and talking openly about — mental health. We’ve worked with experts to help weave best practice into how we work, establish ways to track employee wellbeing and identify improvements we can make. Our Kindhead programme covers two strands: initiatives to prevent mental health issues and then clear information and processes for how we support staff who are in crisis. Prevention includes 24/7 access to trained counsellors, a ‘no meetings’ policy from 12.30–2 pm to encourage people to take proper breaks in daylight hours and year-round events and training to upskill and open up conversations. Crisis involves a six-step guide to managing poor mental health, from starting the conversation to developing a Mental Health Action Plan (MHAP) and a breathing space policy so people get time out when they need it, free of financial worry.

On a personal level, I’ve experienced both strands. I was able to be open with my line manager (and other colleagues) when I hit a crisis point a couple of years ago. Your employer can’t (and shouldn’t) solve a personal crisis, but I was fully supported in taking time out and in coming back to work. As part of my ongoing personal wellbeing, I have regular counselling sessions which I have been able to accommodate thanks to flexible working and feeling comfortable talking about my mental health in my work environment.

In our latest staff survey in January, 100% of employees say Kindred takes their mental health seriously and 94% feel they can talk about mental health problems.

In a year that nearly half of Brits reported experiencing depressive symptoms (double that of pre-pandemic levels), it has been more important than ever to keep the conversation going. It’s not just about bringing down sick leave levels — it’s being part of a wider movement. And if that encourages any positive change — whether it’s one person confiding in their line manager about their struggles, or one person plucking up the courage to dial 116 123 the next time they need it — it’s worth it.