With Blue Monday* (the so-called ‘most depressing day of the year’) coming up on 21st January, what can we do to promote better mental health in the workplace?
According to Mental Health Charity MIND, these 5 steps may help with general mental wellbeing: 
Connect: Social relationships are critical as a buffer against mental ill health. Encourage your employees to ‘talk, ask & listen’ to colleagues
Be Active: physical activity = lower rates of depression. Suggest staff take a lunchtime break, get out in the fresh air and take a short walk or other exercise
Take Notice: Being aware and ‘in the moment’ is good for us. Enjoy your surroundings, de-clutter, savour that coffee, try somewhere new for lunch
Learn: The opportunity to engage in learning activities can lift people out of depression.
Give: People who report a greater interest in helping others are more likely to rate themselves as happy. Acts of kindness can lead to an increase in wellbeing. Get staff involved in fundraising or a charity event and lift morale
Take it from us as HR consultants, it’s much easier to promote mental well-being in the workplace than to deal with what can be challenging consequences of poor mental health, including increased absence rates, declining performance and high staff turnover.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of HR management with us, please contact our team on 01302 341 344.
By Angela Stancer – Group HR Manager
*Blue Monday was actually a concept dreamt up in 2005 by Sky Travel (with an equation claiming to factor in weather, debt level, time since Christmas, failing new year resolutions & low motivation) to encourage us to book a holiday!