Day of Action on Mental Health

Usdaw is supporting World Mental Health Day on 10 October by organising a co-ordinated Day of Action on Mental Health. 

All actions, big and small, help to encourage conversations and break down the stigma around mental health at work.

You can take action by doing as much or as little as you like! Below are just some of the ways you can get involved:

Find out more about the Day of Action 

Usdaw’s mental health campaign, ‘It’s Good to Talk’ runs all year round, but the Day of Action is another opportunity to raise awareness of mental health and what the Union can do to help. The Day is focussed on three key messages about mental health at work:

1. Small Actions Make a Big Difference 

Organising campaign activity on mental health in the workplace, no matter how small the actions, can make a big difference.

• It helps to tackle the ongoing stigma that still surrounds an issue that affects us all and keeps the conversation about mental health going throughout the year.
• It lets members know that where work might be impacting on their mental health, or where their mental health might be affecting them at work (for example impacting on their attendance or performance), then we can help.
• Although we can only help with problems at work, we can signpost members to independent, support organisations where their mental health is affecting their life outside of work.

2. Mental Health is a Workplace Issue 

The Day of Action gives the Union another opportunity to highlight the fact that mental health is a workplace issue. Although more people now feel able to open up about their mental health than a decade ago, Usdaw members may not realise that they can talk to the Union about these issues.

This means that members might not talk to their Usdaw rep at all or might leave it until the last minute, by which time they could be facing disciplinary action. We want to encourage members to remember to talk to Usdaw sooner rather than later.

3. Being in a Union is Good for Your Mental Health 

Usdaw reps are talking about mental health and support members at work every day of the year. These conversations aren’t and shouldn’t be confined to one day, or one week of the year. The Day of Action to mark World Mental Health Day gives us another chance to raise awareness of mental health and what the Union can do to help, but it doesn’t stop reps from talking about and campaigning on mental health throughout the rest of the year.

Usdaw’s 'It’s Good to Talk' campaign materials are free and available to order any time, not just for the Day of Action.

Organise a Workplace Campaign: Talk to your manager about holding an 'It’s Good to Talk' campaign day in your store. 

Display the Poster: Download a copy of the poster to put on your noticeboard. 

Take the Survey: Share your experiences or download copies of the mental health survey to find out more about what is happening in your workplace. The surveys are anonymous and you can share the results with your reps team, manager, or the Union.

#TalkToUsdaw: Share your support for the Day of Action on Mental Health or post photos of campaigns taking place on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). Use the hashtag #TalkToUsdaw to let members know the Union is there for them.

Learn More About Mental Health: Take one of our online courses to find out more about mental health:

• For a bite size introduction to mental health visit the Rep's area of Usdaw’s website at: www.usdaw.org.uk/Mhcourse and complete the 10 minute online course.
• Sign up for one of our free mental health awareness courses available to members via the Health and Wellbeing section of the learning gateway on Usdaw’s website.
• Visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/OLGhealth for details about what’s on offer. You can also access CPD accredited paid for courses via New Skills Academy from the gateway or by this direct link www.usdaw.org.uk/NSA
• The Union can help reps access mental health awareness training courses. Speak to your ULR (Union Learning Rep) or, if you do not have a ULR or you do not know who they are, talk to your Area Organiser or email [email protected]