Please note: This episode covers the real and sad impact that mental health issues can have and includes references to suicide. In the second of our Mental Health Month series, we are joined by the wonderful Simon Brown - who in his role as a CEO of TEKTowr (www.tektowr.com/careers) is passionate about making mental health part of the everyday workplace culture as much as physical safety is.
He shares the impact losing his brother to suicide in 2012 had on his attitude to mental health and the role that workplace culture has in creating a safe space for people share, connect and talk about what might be going on for them beneath the surface. Often we spend more time with colleagues than anyone else and in fact we may confide information that we may keep from family and friends. If we treat mental health & safety like we would any other safety issue it can empower us to act if we spot something not quite right. You never know the impact your small act could have in helping someone get the help they need. Our TALK model helps to have the confidence to check in on someone and to 'ask twice' .
(If you or anyone you know needs support here are a selection of the many resources available: https://www.samaritans.org/ or https://www.mind.org.uk/ or https://youngminds.org.uk/ or https://www.headstogether.org.uk/heads-up/)