We were privileged to have Priscilla Lund, a workplace mindset and behavioural health consultant, visit the workplace at GJK Facility Services this month to help us learn more about the ways in which workplaces can create strains on employees’ mental health, alongside ways in which we can recognise signs of struggle in our colleagues, and provide both personal support and facilitate a more supportive environment.
Priscila’s visit was prompted by R U OK Day, but of course these are important conversations to have every day. Ensuring that the workplace is a safe place, where conversations around mental health are as normalised as conversations around physical health, will help to promote a culture of caring and collaboration.
Priscilla told the group, “It is important for organisations to raise awareness around the importance of mental health and wellbeing by encouraging connectiveness, compassion, working as teams and creating collaborative environments so we can care for each other.”
The core message of her presentation was that “It’s OK not to be OK.” She continued, “We need to understand that it’s OK not to be OK. When this awareness comes into play and we are open to the conversation that we’re having a bad day and feeling a little down, kind of like having a headache, let’s look after it and treat it as we would a physical ailment.”
More of Priscilla’s presentation has been shared on the GJK Facility Services blog.