Time To Talk Day

I’ve got a lot on my mind, can we talk? 

We all know it’s good to talk. But talking about the tricky stuff is, well, tricky. 

Time to Talk Day, on 2 February, is a great reminder for us to reach out. Run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, in partnership with the Co-op, Time to Talk Day is a chance for all of us to be more open about our mental health. To show that it’s okay to not be okay. 

But telling someone you need to talk can be difficult. And knowing how best to check in on your family member, friend, or colleague to help them start talking can be equally tough. 

 At Ketchum UK, we have built a unique culture based on empathy and intelligence. We believe that we can only deliver work that matters if we believe our people matter first. We make mental health and well-being a priority by committing to actively encouraging an open culture that makes it easier to start the conversations that can help. We are developing and delivering a systematic approach that is threaded throughout our working life. It’s something we think about, talk about, and work on every day. And it’s supported at every level of the business, driven by our Senior Leadership and HR teams. 

This year we’ve launched a new partnership and programme with the wonderful Self Space that will support our teams 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Through this partnership we have access to 1:1 therapy, therapist-written workshops, evidence-based resources, opportunities to attend bi-monthly workshops and events, plus monthly content care packages. 

We will also be including resources in our line manager toolkit, putting up posters around the office to signpost resources, and implementing a new resourcing model to provide better intelligence to fuel decision-making capacity and allow us to take action to avoid burnout where needed. And of course, we have mental health first aiders too. We want to help our people to thrive at work and reach their potential. 

We are committed to continuing to talk about mental health. Not just on one day, but every day. We want to empower our people to seek help when they need it. We want to remove any stigma related to these conversations at work. And create a culture where having these conversations is the norm. We know that there is more we can learn. And we believe that, with a progressive mindset, there is always more we can do and will do as we move forward. 

Authored by Katy Davidson.