Workplace Health workshop - mental health at the fore

On Tuesday I spent an excellent and interesting hour at a Workplace Health workshop led by Paul Collyer, Head of Occupational Health and Safety with around 30 other managers. Like the other 400 managers who will attend this session, I heard some interesting facts and figures which should make us all stop and think. For example, did you know that if all the sickness absence from 2016 was taken by just one employee then the last day that person would have been at work would have been sometime in 1873!

I also learned that 1 in 7 of people in employment are likely to experience a period of mental ill-health in any given year. What particularly surprised me though was that throughout these workshops the managers attending have, through a secret ballot voting exercise, consistently indicated that there is a clear difference in the approach we take to disclosing mental health issues as opposed to poor physical health. Over half of those attending said that they had personally experienced periods of poor mental health affecting their attendance or performance at work; yet about three quarters also expressed a view that they would have reservations about disclosing that to their own manager for fear of it being viewed negatively. We need to work towards creating a workplace culture where the apparent stigma being attached to poor mental health is eliminated. It will after all affect one in seven of us and no-one is immune. 

I for one would never view negatively anybody asking for our support and help with mental health issues. This is a commitment that we should all make to one another throughout the organisation.

Today, we are hosting a visit from Melanie Dawes, Permanent Secretary at the Department for Communities & Local Government (DCLG). We will be briefing and exploring topics such as health and social care integration, our Military Civilian Integration programme, local government reorganisation as well as local government financing. I am also keen to offer and understand how the department might use us to shape and develop draft legislation before it is enacted. After all, you (we) have the experience of what works and what probably won’t in our county.  

Speak again soon. For daily updates, discussion, personal opinion, comment or just to connect or keep in touch you can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/drcarltonbrand.

Carlton