Some useful contact details

Just following the last post. If after watching you feel there are any issues you need to talk to someone around or what to explore furhter please contact:

Mental Health Foundation - www.mentalhealth.org.nz/page/303-In-Crisis

Lifeline 0800 543 354 or (09) 522 2999
Suicide Prevention Helpline 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOK0)
Youthline 0800 376 633
Samaritans 0800 726 666

The lowdown - www.thelowdown.co.nz
Depression - http://www.depression.org.nz/ (JK’s stuff) helpline – 0800 111 757

There are also other resources on the wellbeing page of this site.

Keep going and don’t forget support

This is a little bit of a rant. I think that it is ok. It is my current view point and I am not claiming to be an expert in either issue.

The first is a gentle rant of support for those growing a mo. Keep it up. I have taken the easier route this year. I am ‘managing’ a team of mo growers, which I have done for a few years. This year I am not growing, although I am still collecting donations. I feel a bit of a cheat but I am sure the ends justify the means. I am telling people I am not growing and to donate to the team. I feel that is more ethical. Don’t be a hater as I am not suffering the growth of a Mo directly. I have been there (for 5 years) and understand the journey.

My second rant is a little less informed. New Zealand currently has a high suicide rate. Again cutting to the chase really quickly and with no apology, men still tend to be more successful in this area. Nothing to be proud of. Our media, however still really struggle to discuss this well. There are some great organisations out there working really hard to address this issue but it is not openly discussed when it happens, especially to public figures or high profile people, who are not immune.

There are even some professions with higher rates and people in these areas do not know what to do and may not know who to turn to. In todays society why can we not discuss this easier? I do not think people will copy it. I think if the true stories were told in a sensitive and thoughtful way it would help people look for the supports that they may need and may not be aware of. It does make me a little angry to think that people do not know who to turn to and we continue to just avoid the issue. It is not a solution.

The conversation needs to move away from a conversation within health and mental health to the office, the sports field and the class room. I am sure we are grown up enough to have this and find a way to do it without someone limiting our ability to use the S word.

Rant over.

Ignoring mental health in the workplace is not an option.

Mental health plays a big part in any organisation, of any size, in any industry. At any one time, one in six employees will be experiencing a mental health issue and failing to respond to this can cost employers up to $2,000 per employee per year.

Responding to mental ill health at work is the key driver behind Mindful Employer NZ, a new programme set to be launched in the Waikato region next week. A new initiative for New Zealand, Mindful Employer NZ is a programme dedicated to supporting employers and raising awareness and understanding of mental health issues in the workplace.

Thursday 18 October marks the official launch of the initiative in New Zealand and during the next few months, Waikato businesses will be invited to join the programme. By signing up to the Mindful Employer NZ charter, employers get access to advice around mental health issues, and in implementing the principles of the charter. They will also receive subsidised mental health awareness staff training.

Warren Elwin, Workwise chief executive is excited about the potential of this programme. “Ignoring mental health issues in the workplace is not an option for employers. By not handling mental wellbeing effectively it can have a negative influence on the health, productivity and morale of a business. The actions required to manage mental health issues well are not complicated and it’s good to see an initiative dedicated to supporting employers in this area.

Funded in part by the Ministry of Social Development and supported by Workwise and Platform Trust, the Mindful Employer NZ programme will initially be piloted in the Waikato region with the intention of establishing a national initiative in the near future.

Mindful Employer NZ was inspired by the United Kingdom Mindful Employer initiative. The programme is already well established in the United Kingdom and Australia. In the United Kingdom alone, more than one and a quarter million people work for employers who have signed the charter.