Taking Time to Talk in the Wake of World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day (WMHD) was established in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health [1]. Held annually on 10th October, the awareness program brings attention to mental illness and the effects it can have on our lives. The theme for 2024, “It is time to Prioritise Mental Health in the Workplace”, was chosen by over 2000 participants across 116 countries [2]. In the UK, mental ill health may now be considered the most common cause of work-limiting conditions among those aged 44 years and younger [source]. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is playing a key role in campaigning against stigma and spurring action amongst individuals, companies, and communities alike. Currently, there is a call to action to address all aspects of mental health at work, from workplace conditions and stress management to the importance of social inclusion and empowerment.

Mental Health at Pager Power

For the most part, you will find our operations teams hyper-focused on drawing up detailed reports for our clients, compiling impressive spreadsheets, or drawing up bespoke proposals. However, with the theme of this year’s WMHD being workplace mental health, we feel it’s an ideal time to pause and highlight some of the things we do to support our teams, in the hopes that this may inspire others to do the same.

“Action to address mental health at work should be done with the meaningful involvement of workers and their representatives, and persons with lived experience of mental health conditions.”
(WHO, 2024) [3]

Safe, healthy working environments act as a protective factor for mental health. In this fashion, Pager Power strives to provide a positive and supportive workplace that promotes wellbeing and celebrates personal successes. Within this, the company provides all employees with the choice of home-working for part of their week to support in maintaining work-life balance.

Whilst we cannot prevent life stressors or mental health conditions from occurring, it is important to us that team members have the opportunity to speak up when things feel off track. By organising weekly catchups between team members, Pager Power actively creates opportunities for individuals to stay connected on a personal level. Moreover, we understand that it is crucial to take a step back from ‘the grind’ every so often. We encourage staff members to join us at our quarterly social events – and at corporate functions – as a team.

Moving forward, Pager Power aspires to introduce Mental Health First Aid to our training scheme from January 2025, to work alongside our existing Mental Health Policy. We wholeheartedly register that the health of our teams has a direct impact upon our success. We persist that our business culture must be protective of mental health needs and one that facilitates a resilient workforce.

About Pager Power

Pager Power undertakes technical assessments for developers of renewable energy projects and tall buildings worldwide. For more information about what we do, please get in touch.

References:

[1] Wikipedia. World Mental Health Day. Last accessed: 10/10/2024, Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Mental_Health_Day 

[2] WFMH (2024). Is it time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace. Last accessed: 10/10/2024. Available at: https://wfmh.global/news/2024.24-04-17_wmhd2024-theme 

[3] The Health Foundation (2023). What we know about the UK’s working-age health challenge, Last accessed: 10/10/2024, Available at: https://www.health.org.uk/publications/long-reads/what-we-know-about-the-uk-s-working-age-health-challenge 

[3] WHO (2024). World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2024. Last accessed: 10/10/2024, Available at: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day/2024 

Photo collage created by Tori Harvey, Pager Power.