5 ways to acknowledge World Mental Health Day at work this October 10
Show your support for World Mental Health Day 2023 with these workplace wellbeing activities.
October 10 is World Mental Health Day 2023, a day to reflect on and raise awareness about mental health.
This year’s theme, set by the World Foundation of Mental Health, is ‘Mental health is a universal human right’.
We’re excited to get behind World Mental Health Day 2023 by sharing five ways leaders can support this day in the workplace.
1. Start the conversation
Post about World Mental Health Day across your internal communication channels and share what you’ll be doing to look after your mental health on this day.
When leaders talk openly about how they’re looking after their wellbeing, it gives others permission to do the same.
Sharing something as simple as “I’m going to start my day with a walk” or “after work, I’ll be enjoying a meal with my family” is a great way to lead by example and normalise talking about mental wellbeing in the workplace.
Read more: How to talk about mental health with your team
2. Check-in with your team
Use World Mental Health Day as an opportunity to check-in with people on your team in a 1:1 setting. Ask open questions such as “how are things in your world?” or “how’s life treating you?”.
Mental health check-ins can go a long way to helping people feel more supported at work, but they do require plenty of care. Check out Groov’s CARE framework for having mental health conversations to learn how to navigate these conversations with empathy and respect.
3. Share some mental health resources
Point people towards mental health support services at your workplace, such as mental wellbeing platforms or EAP services. Make sure these can be easily found and that everyone knows the right people to speak to if they need assistance.
You might also want to share resources about mental health from trusted sources such as the Mental Health Foundation in New Zealand or Beyond Blue in Australia.
4. Host an event
Get people together virtually or in-person for an event to acknowledge World Mental Health Day. Here are some ideas:
Host a shared morning tea or lunch
Invite a guest speaker into the workplace
Stream a relevant video, such as previous Groov webinar
Organise a social club outing to boost team connection
Host a workplace wellbeing ‘pub quiz’
Provide a healthy breakfast spread
5. Plan future events
Show people you care about mental health in the workplace every day, not just on World Mental Health Day, by planning some future events about mental health and wellbeing. You may also like to ask people for feedback about what would further support their mental health at work to help you strengthen your workplace wellbeing strategy.