Episode 12: Mental Health - the challenge ahead and a preventative approach: Chris Parsons, Chairman, India Practice and Mental Health Champion, Herbert Smith Freehills

A business leader working with HR and D&I teams, Chris describes the scale of the global mental health challenge, shares his personal experience of mental ill-health, the work he champions and the approaches for successful mental wellbeing strategy that have transpired. Describing a preventative approach, Chris provides a framework and set of actions that HR practitioners can take, including how to engage Board level leadership with personal and financial data, and why mental health must be one of their top priorities. Here’s a snapshot of a few things we talked about: [3:17] The impact of sharing mental health struggles to reduce stigma [7:04] The three pillars for a successful mental wellbeing strategy [10:42] The importance of sleep [14:52] The scale of the mental wellbeing challenge and the impact for the workplace [18:25] Next steps: research and support that creates effective change across global cultures [24:14] A preventative approach - getting buy in from the Board: the personal and the financial – calculating the cost of mental ill-health [33:20] Supporting the D&I team in their leadership of health and wellbeing strategy Referenced resources: Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker: https://www.waterstones.com/book/why-we-sleep/matthew-walker/9780141983769 The Farmer Stevenson Report: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thriving-at-work-a-review-of-mental-health-and-employers “I love How HR Leaders Change the World” – if that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing our show! This helps us achieve our goal, to reach more of your peers, so we can all contribute to further and faster change. Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review”. Be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. We’ll add a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now!