R U OK? Day is September 9, 2021. This began in 2009 as a national day of action, with an aim to bring Australians together to prevent suicide. Today, R U OK? Delivers campaigns and resources 365 days a year to help people provide support to those who may be struggling with life.
Suicide prevention is a very complex and sensitive challenge, with world experts trying to understand ‘why’ this occurs. The most significant theories to this are:
- the person thinks they are a burden on others,
- the person thinks they can withstand a high degree of pain, and
- the person does not feel connected to others.
R U OK? Is aiming to prevent the lack of connection, by inspiring people to take the time and ask “Are you okay?” and approach this as a prevention and early intervention.
R U OK? Day helps bring awareness to navigating the conversation of “Are you okay?”. In the workplace, there are a lot of opportunities to check in on your colleagues and friends to ensure they are doing okay. Here is a great guide as to how to approach one of these scenarios.
Addressing mental health in the workplace still requires a lot of work before it’s at an acceptable standard. Prevention should always be the goal, with people regarding mental health, just as they should physical health – something that needs time, training and maintenance. Engaging in these questions and increasing knowledge through targeted education, will assist with workplaces playing their part to ensure their workers ‘are okay’. There are many resources available and by utilising workplace Health Hubs, such as Employ Health’s, you can make your workplace a welcoming, safer, happier, and more productive environment.
References & resources:
https://www.ruok.org.au/
