I took a break away from my desk this morning to get some fresh air. During my short walk, I overheard two men having a conversation about having a break from work and here’s how the conversation went…
Bloke 1: “Yeah I took some time off from work “
Bloke 2: “Good on you! did you have a holiday?”
Bloke 1: “Not so much of a holiday, but I actually took some stress leave as I was having a breakdown. I needed the time off and now feeling so much better”.
The conversation flowed to another topic but what struck me, was the openness and nonchalance around the topic. I thought to myself how refreshing, it’s about time!
It seems that there’s always been a stigma around mental health and admitting that you need help. It appears to be a taboo topic, a sign of weakness, forcing some people to suffer in silence- particularly within men (There’s always been this perceived pressure to pretend that the men need to be stronger which in turn results to them denying their mental wellness needs).
Mental issues affect people from all walks of life, that including corporate executives. We need to be able to talk about this issue freely without the fear of being stigmatised or seen as weak. Organisations need to be prepared to deal with, and recognise not only health issues for employees but also mental health, and provide a work environment that is supportive, and assist staff in being at their best. That’s my two cents, I just thought I would share….
