Local mental health charity Hull and East Yorkshire Mind and Hull City Council are holding a conference on World Mental Health Day to come together to celebrate employers who have committed to decreasing mental health stigma in the workplace.
Over the past year the two organisations have been working with local Hull businesses to help them become Time to Change Employers. The Time to Change Employer Pledge demonstrates a business’ commitment to change how they think and act about mental health in the workplace and supports them to make sure that employees who are facing these problems feel supported.
This free half day conference, which is the UK’s first mass signing event, will include speakers sharing professional and personal experiences of mental health in the workplace, as well as the opportunity to attend workshops and network with local support services.
Rebecca Parker, Chief Executive at Hull and East Yorkshire Mind said “We often hear from our local businesses how they want to support mental health at work, but don’t know where to begin. Over the past year, we have been working very closely with businesses of all different sizes across Hull to ensure that mental health in the workplace is talked about and supported.
Our Conference on World Mental Health Day is there to celebrate the amazing efforts that our local businesses have achieved in order to make mental health at work a priority.”
Cllr Gwen Lunn, Portfolio Holder for Public Health and Adult Social Care at Hull City Council, said: “This conference follows a series of training sessions for businesses on how to provide employees with support to manage mental health problems.
“There can still be stigma around discussing a mental health problem and getting help for it – this can particularly be felt at work where people feel a pressure to be present and to perform well. But experiencing a mental health problem is so common – they affect around one in four of us, so it’s essential we break down the barriers which prevent people getting the help and support they need.
“We know Hull employers care about the people who work for them and understand that a workforce which is mentally and physically well and supported is an absolute asset. Our workshops were extremely well-attended – so much so that every place was taken – so we’re confident we will have a fantastic turnout on the day and a huge commitment to Time to Change by the end of it”.
The conference will take place on Thursday 10th October which coincides with World Mental Health Day. The conference will take place at the University of Hull Canham Turner Building Kingsley Suite, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX between 8am-12pm.
You don’t have to be signed up to the Time to Change Employer Pledge to attend, however if you haven’t and would like to learn more please contact Natalie Norton, on [email protected] or visit https://heymind.org.uk/timetochange/
Book your FREE tickets here https://heymind.org.uk/timetochange/
