Ford Takes to the Road to Raise Awareness of Mental Health

According its research a year ago, 77% of business leaders said that their own mental health has impacted their performance at work and only 47% of said their colleagues would feel comfortable talking about mental health in the workplace.

In 2017, pladis, the global snacking company behind the McVitie's brand, signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge and previous year committed to training all its line managers in the United Kingdom on mental health by the end of 2019.

"To create workplaces where people can talk about any challenges they are facing, without fear of stigma, we need a change in workplace culture", said Jaman. "However, in a world where many of us only share our "best bits" online we're urging everyone to use Time to Talk Day as an opportunity to break down barriers and have real and meaningful conversations about their mental health".

Wrexham's Assembly Member is backing a nationwide campaign aimed at reducing the stigma and discrimination around mental health.

While social media allows people to connect with those around them and can be a helpful source of support for the one in four who experience mental health problems in any given year, according to campaigners, the new data suggests "surface level" engagement, such as liking photos or checking friends' profiles is replacing more meaningful conversation, both on and offline.

Vanessa Sallows, benefits and governance director at Legal & General, which runs its Not A Red Card campaign to raise awareness of mental health initiatives, agreed that "more needs to be done".

Chief Constable Winton Keenen said, along with the public, it was vital that emergency services personnel have access to mental health services. Every team in the WHL receives specific training on suicide prevention and each team is also linked to a CMHA Mental Health Coach, who helps provide support and mental health resources to individuals in need. However, what's really made a difference when it comes to tackling the taboo around mental health and encouraging people to speak out is our Mental Health Allies Programme.

While there is no doubt that recent years have seen an improvement in the way mental health is discussed in the media and society at large, among young men especially, opening up about mental health problems can often still seem a topic that is hard or awkward. Our target is to have 20 percent of our workforce trained as Allies and the other 80 percent mental health aware through education sessions by 2020.

Councillor Stewart Young, Leader of Cumbria County Council and Chair of Cumbria Health and Wellbeing Board, said: "Just like physical health, we all have mental health and we believe that equal importance should be placed on the physical and mental wellbeing of all our employees". Which is better for them - and makes for a thriving and successful business.