Welcome to your HRD Connect update!

Continuing to mark Mental Health Awareness Week  HRD Connect is running a business role models of mental health campaign. We’ve spoken with some truly inspiring characters opening up about their own personal mental health detailing why it’s important to talk about how you feel in and outside of work. These role models include; Alastair Campbell, Brian Heyworth (Global Head of Client Strategy, HSBC), Geoff McDonald, Ruth Sutherland (CEO, Samaritans) and Jessica Carmody (Senior Manager, KPMG). Each and every story detailed this week is a personal tale which highlights the need for a real societal shift and a change of mindset within UK business.

To continue on with our role models, our third model, Geoff McDonald talks about ending the stigma in workplaces. Geoff McDonald wants to change the way we work forever, he says we need dedicated emotional and mental health education from a young age ensuring the stigma will fade for good, he does this by sharing his own personal experience with mental ill health. McDonald is the former VP of HR at global consumer goods giant, Unilever and is now the co-founder of mental health network, Minds@Work.

“There is some truly amazing work being done, especially in the last three or four years in this country around raising awareness. But now we need to act, we’ve got the awareness – now we need to do.” – Geoff McDonald

We also spoke with Ruth Sutherland, CEO, Samaritans to get her opinion about mental health in society today, and what obstacles people still face in 2018.

“Work-related stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 40% of work-related ill health” – Ruth Sutherland, CEO, Samaritans

As ever, join the conversation and tweet us at @HRDCommunity or email me at [email protected], we would love to hear about your insights, and whether you have made any changes to the way you communicate mental health in the workplace.

I hope you enjoy the features.

Best wishes,

Emily Sexton-Brown,
Editor, HRD Connect