World Mental Health Day exists to raise awareness of mental health issues around the globe and to mobilise initiatives to support mental health.
For HR in particular, this date gives you an opportunity to promote positive conversations about mental health within your organisation.
So, how can you get involved? Find out everything you need to know about World Mental Health Day 2023 below. You’ll learn:
- When is World Mental Health Day?
- Who organises World Mental Health Day?
- What’s the theme for this year?
- How can my organisation get involved?
1. When is World Mental Health Day 2023?
This year, World Mental Health Day will be on Tuesday 10th October 2023. It is always scheduled on the 10th October.
2. Who organises World Mental Health Day?
World Mental Health Day is organised by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Established in 1948, the WHO is a United Nations agency tasked with leading global efforts to give everyone everywhere an equal chance to live a healthy life.
3. What’s the theme for this year?
This year’s theme for World Mental Health Day 2023 has not yet been announced.
The theme for 2022, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, was: ‘Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority.’
Mental health challenges can exist everywhere in our society – including within our families and our workplaces. This year’s World Mental Health Day is a call to do as much as possible to prevent mental ill-health.
This date is also a chance to talk about mental health more broadly, including what we need to do to look after it, and the importance of opening up if you are struggling.
4. How can my organisation get involved?
Mental health affects us all and organisations play an integral role in supporting others.
So, break down the stigma of mental health and help support others by getting your organisation and colleagues involved in World Mental Health Day 2023.
Below you’ll find some ideas and resources to get you started on raising awareness and inspiring action in your organisation and beyond.
Share free materials from top charities
World Mental Health Day is widely supported by some really fantastic organisations and charities.
This year, in support of World Mental Health Day, mental health charity Mind, is running an awareness campaign called ‘If this speaks to you, speak to us’.
As part of this, they have produced an incredible line-up of templates, posters and social posts. Download them free on the Mind website and utilise them in your organisation.
The Mental Health Foundation have also produced some great ready-made social posts and posters. Use these to kick-off your internal or external communications for World Mental Health Day. Download them here.
Encourage your leaders to take part
The leaders in your organisation play a crucial role in creating a healthy workplace culture. And these cultures are ones in which mental health can be discussed openly without bias or judgement.
Your employees will model themselves on the behaviour of your leaders. So, if your leaders can be open with their experiences of poor mental health (or positive mental health), this gives others in your organisation a sense of permission to do the same.
Listen to the below podcast from Chris Jones, CEO of England Athletics, as he describes the power of sharing your experiences of mental health at work.
So, how do you actually get your leaders involved? One of the most effective routes is to ask your leaders to share their stories. Are you a member of the senior team? You can start by sharing your story right now.
Consider utilising your internal communications platforms, like Slack and Yammer, or share stories during a company-or-team-wide Zoom call.
You could even encourage participation via personal social media accounts via platforms like LinkedIn.
Looking for guidance on how to do this? Watch the webinar below to learn how leaders can talk about mental health at work.
Share your stories
Sharing personal stories should never simply be limited to your leaders (although it’s crucial they get involved too). Everyone can get involved, continue to open up the mental health conversation, and encourage others to seek help when needed.
By sharing your stories, you can help reduce stigma and challenge the stereotypes surrounding mental health.
Encourage everyone in your organisation to get involved. You could do this by utilising the official hashtag: #WorldMentalHealthDay
Download free Champion Health guides and resources
We love creating guides and resources to help organisations improve the wellbeing of their people.
Share the resources below with your employees during and before the day or use them to boost your own knowledge.
Guides:
- Reducing the Risk of Suicide
- Cost of Living Crisis: Employee Wellbeing & Financial Health
- The Workplace Health Report
- Children’s mental health: Toolkit for parents and kids
Articles:
- How to talk about mental health in the workplace
- How to spot mental health issues at work
- How to support a colleague in crisis
- Talking about Mental Health in a Staff Appraisal or 1:1
Donate
As you’ve noticed, many of the organisations involved in this important day are charities.
Charities provide the backbone of mental health support across the world and are often the only place people can turn to for support.
So, consider raising money within your organisation for charities like:
For those not ready to share their personal stories, donating to a charity can be a rewarding way for everyone get involved at work.
Get involved in World Mental Health Day 2023
Now you know how to get involved in, we can’t wait to see what you come up with. Get involved, break the stigma and turn that awareness into action. Good luck!
