Time to Talk Day

Today is ‘Time to Talk Day’ which is the UK’s biggest mental health conversation. It is a day that encourages people to open up to their friends, family and colleagues and discuss mental health

After being a taboo subject for so many years, mental health is finally getting the attention that it deserves. With approximately 1 in 4 people experiencing a mental health problem each year, it is something that everyone has experience with, be it their own health, or that of a close family member or friend. 

Here at ZeroLight, we advocate for looking after your mental wellbeing, and we do our best to ensure that our employees have what they need in order to have a good work life balance, and access to the required services should they need them. 

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Having a healthy balance between work and your personal life is absolutely vital. Whilst we have hybrid working, we also have flexible working hours, which allows our staff to start work anytime between 8am - 10am. This means that you can choose your hours based on your personal preference and requirements. We also offer the option for a 2 hour lunch break, giving those who don’t have the time after work, to run errands, meet friends & attend appointments. 

ZeroLight also offers a fantastic Employee Assistance Programme through Health Assured. This fully confidential service offers our employee’s access to counselling sessions with a qualified counsellor covering a range of specialist areas including stress, anxiety, depression, grief counselling, health management. The service is also available for immediate family members. We can also access online workshops and courses to support issues such as weight, sleep and money management. Plus access to financial and legal advice. 

For those who do suffer with mental health issues, sometimes the most helpful tool is hearing from those who are in a similar situation or feel the same. Hearing that you are not alone also encourages more people to open up. This is why, during some of our weekly company calls, we have invited various guest speakers to join and speak with our staff. Most notably, Lorna Evan’s from Mind Movement spoke with us during the lockdown restrictions, which mentally, was a very difficult time for everyone. Lorna explained what isolation can do, and how important it is to talk and share your feelings and emotions with others.

We also had a guest speaker from Andy’s Man Club, who are a men’s suicide prevention charity. They offer free-to-attend peer-to-peer support groups across the United Kingdom and online. Their goal is to end the stigma surrounding men’s mental health and help men through the power of conversation with their tag line - It’s okay to talk!

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