MENTAL HEALTH
John Blake, pictured between his greatest supporters - his mother and father, Noel and Susan Blake.
company I’ve worked for with highly visible mental health support. I have a Designer Group Strava account (a social fitness network using GPS data) that a lot of the employees joined. They compete against each other, maybe over a cycle to work. It creates a competitive spirit and a bit of craic amongst the lads. Since the lockdown, it has created a good buzz within the company.” Unfortunately, Designer Group remain the exception, rather than the rule. Things are improving in the industry, but there’s still a very
long way to go. Mental health in the workplace has certainly moved up the industry agenda, but not everyone is genuinely convinced. “When it comes to the Town Hall ‘Toolbox Talks’ there is the mention of mental health, but often not many indicators of passion to change. There’s definitely a generation there who don’t feel comfortable with it. We need to get past that, to get to the point where we can talk, we can tell a colleague without fear of ridicule. I wouldn’t need a script to read off if called
to speak about mental health and what needs to be done. I don’t know it all - far from it, but I’m passionate about the subject and want to see change.” Once embroiled, it’s hard not to take everything personally. “When I hear about a suicide now, even if its someone I don’t know, I find it gut- wrenching. A young lad died by suicide in Bray only recently, and I thought, Jesus Christ, if only that lad knew the support that’s out there, the people that are out there and want to help. It’s the shockwaves it creates after it, for
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