1. Thou shalt be curious, not scared. The more ignorant your culture, the less productive your workplace
2. Political correctness is well and good, but good-old-fashioned caring is better
3. Develop programs that allow anonymity. Many people don’t want to ‘out’ themselves
4. That said, if people are happy talking publicly about their experience, ask them to do so. The more senior the person greater the impact
5. Develop programs that are active year-round. Not everyone falls ill during Mental Health Month
6. Understand you will never embarrass anyone by asking how they are – unless you do so with an all-staff email
7. Be aware that even CEOs can suffer. This is not MasterChef, there are no immunity pins
8. Remember, a mental illness is just that – an illness. And illnesses can be cured or managed
9. Rely on the expertise of those who have suffered mental illness, not just those who have studied it
10. Spend ten-minutes teaching yourself some basic relaxation techniques like Belly Breathing. Then teach others
11. Lead by example. If you’re a bundle of anxiety and/or depression, seek help
12. Be kind. There’s a 45% chance you will suffer one day too.
And here are a few more suggestions from Sane:
Club 20 