To mark World Mental Health Day (10th October), Chief People Officer, Paul McAvoy stresses the importance of making the workplace an environment where people can talk openly about their mental health and wellbeing.

Work is a major part of many of our lives. It is where we spend a significant proportion of our time and having a fulfilling job can be hugely beneficial for our mental health and wellbeing. However, there are always going to be times when life, be it work-related or personal, gets on top of us and the pandemic has exacerbated this issue. More so than ever, these moments can manifest into mental health issues and employers must ensure that their duty of care extends to the cognitive, behavioural, and emotional well-being of employees.

At Ocorian, we recognise that it's ok not to be ok and we support mental health initiatives in a variety of ways. To mark this year's World Mental Health Day, we are giving everyone the opportunity to benefit from training called Building Personal Resilience. The sessions are designed to help our team understand what can make them resilient when experiencing pressure and change; how to take control of physical, emotional, mental and social energy resources; and identify practical steps to improve wellbeing and performance.

However, World Mental Health Day is just one day of the year. Mental health and wellbeing should be a priority throughout the year and it is crucial that employers have effective support systems in place that can be readily accessed whenever necessary. Our dedicated health and wellbeing resources on our learning management system Grow, can be accessed 24/7. We provide great resources on managing mental health and general wellbeing, stress, building resilience and how to develop a growth mindset, as well as free workout videos for people to try at home. We also invest in an employee assistance programme which provides free counselling and emotional support to improve employee mental wellness and performance. I must also make mention of our fantastic trained mental health first aiders, who are always available for additional support as and when it is needed.

Ultimately, we want to create a workplace where everyone can thrive. Good mental health at work and good management go hand in hand, and if employees feel they can talk openly about mental health, then problems are less likely to build up. Remember, it's ok not to be ok.