Whether we’re hanging out at home, studying at school or grinding in the workplace, mental health should always be a priority. With this in mind, we couldn’t be more excited to partner with Fonterra for this year’s R U Ok? Day, an Australian initiative promoting honest conversations about mental health and wellbeing.
As part of our collaboration, we’ll chat about mental health in the workplace, reveal why checking in on your friends is so important, and spotlight some of Fonterra’s incredible wellbeing initiatives (spoiler alert: their workplace perks are unbeatable)!
To level up your mental health knowledge and launch an exciting career while avoiding burnout, read on. Trust us, you won’t want to miss this.
What is R U Ok? Day?
Before jumping into the importance of mental health in general, it’s important to highlight the incredible story behind R U OK? Day and why it’s so important to commemorate.
After losing his beloved father, Barry Larkin, to mental illness, Gavin Larkin chose to dedicate his life to facilitating honest and meaningful conversations about how we’re actually doing. Spurred on by the belief that a conversation can change a life, R U OK? Day was born, and since then, Australians across the country have been better off because of it.
The R U Ok? charity focuses predominantly on building the motivation, confidence and abilities of the help-giver. Essentially, it enables all of us to better support our friends, family, colleagues and even our acquaintances. This incredible initiative results in a heightened sense of connection and helps those who find it difficult to communicate when they need help.
How to Ask Someone if They’re Okay
If you’re worried about someone you know, make sure they know that you’re there for them by checking in and doing your best to cultivate an open dialogue. However, if you’re not sure how to start, check out these top tips from the professionals.
Ask R U OK
Actually asking if someone is okay is the hardest part of your mission, but with these tips from the mental health pros, it becomes a whole lot easier:
- Approach in a relaxed, friendly and concerned manner. Avoid making them feel attacked; it’s easiest to open up in a warm and supportive environment.
- Help them verbalise the tricky feelings by prompting them with questions such as “How are you doing?” or “What’s been happening?”
- It can help to mention specific things that set off your Spidey-Senses, such as them being a little less chatty or missing more school or work than normal.
Listen With an Open Mind
Once someone begins opening up, it’s super important you listen well and take what they’re saying seriously. Try out these strategies to make them feel heard:
- Allow them time to think and process; we don’t always need to fill silences.
- Encourage them to elaborate on their statements by asking questions like “How are you feeling about that?” or “How long have you been feeling that way?”
- Refrain from judging them for their experiences or their reactions; we don’t always act like ourselves when we’re going through hard times.
Encourage Action
So, they’ve admitted that they’re feeling a little (or even a lot) down; what should you do now? One of our most important pieces of advice is to encourage them to act. You can do so by trying out one of these approaches:
- Check-in to see how they would like to be supported by you rather than simply assuming.
- Ask them questions that could determine the best course of action, such as “What have you done in the past to manage similar situations?” or “What’s something you can do for yourself right now? Something enjoyable or relaxing?”
- If they’ve been feeling really down for longer than two weeks, encourage them to seek professional help (and be super positive about the role of professionals in getting through tough times).
Check-In
The role of the helper doesn’t end when the conversation does; now that they’ve opened up, you’ll want to make sure that you keep checking in to make them feel supported. Some great ways to do this are:
- Pop a reminder to check in with them in your phone or planner so you don’t forget.
- Stay in touch and make yourself available if they need to talk again. As the R U OK? team says, “Genuine care and concern can make a real difference.”
Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being
When the Explore Careers team talks about well-being, it’s only natural for us to shift into a conversation about mental health in the workplace. After all, according to the Department of Health and Human Services:
- 76% of workers report at least one symptom of a mental health condition
- 84% of workers said their workplace conditions had contributed to at least one mental health challenge
- 81% of workers reported that they will be looking for workplaces that support mental health in the future
With these shocking statistics in mind, it’s clear that there’s a link between work and mental health. Thus, it’s incredibly important to look for workplaces with a great culture and a supportive team *cough, Fonterra, cough*
Fonterra’s ‘Healthy Minds’ Initiative & Employee Perks
If you head on over to Fonterra’s website and check out their section on Our People, you’ll see a quote that exemplifies everything we want to see from mental health-conscious employers:
Our ambition is for all our people to be healthy, have a balanced life and go home safely every day, everywhere.
According to Fonterra, they simply want to ensure a mentally healthy Fonterra family and foster an environment where that enables genuine conversations around mental wellbeing. In short, they want to be able to talk to each other about the important stuff. After all, when they talk about the Fonterra family, it’s not just their people, it’s also their farmers, their families and our communities.
How Does Fonterra’s ‘Healthy Minds’ Initiative Work?
Fonterra has partnered with AFL Premiership player and founder of PukaUp, Wayne Schwass, as well as Black Dog Institute to help facilitate conversation around mental health. They’ve held community forums in each of our regions to educate employees, farmers and the community about mental wellbeing. And that’s not all! Fonterra also offers their people and farmers free access to EAP, which supports people’s physical, social and psychological well-being.
What’s more, they’re rolling out a peer-delivered mental health literacy program for their workplace which aims to give people the skills to identify when people are struggling with their mental health and give them the confidence to step in and help.
Sounds pretty good, right? And they aren’t all talk either! Just check out some of the unbeatable employee perks and benefits that are offered to their staff year-round:
- Group exercise classes at the Richmond Office twice a week
- Online yoga classes once a week
- Discounts to Fitness First Gym
- Free onsite Health Coach 3 times a month
- Free flu vaccinations
- Mental health first aiders
- Podcasts
- Onsite physios (site-specific)
- Healthy Minds Program
On top of all of this, they also have a Wellbeing Calendar that promotes a different theme each month!
Fonterra’s Healthy Minds Month and R U OK? Day Celebrations
Healthy Minds Month kicks off in September, and there are several activities that they’ll be rolling out across the Oceania business! One of these is their R U OK? Day celebration – an opportunity for their team to connect and check in with each other on all thing’s mental health and wellbeing. This lunch takes place in Fonterra’s lovely Richmond office on Thursday, 14th September at 12pm, courtesy of the Healthy Minds team.
Rob Howell (Fonterra’s Operations and Supply Chain Director) puts the importance of this initiative perfectly:
“Together We want to create a mentally healthy Fonterra family and we’ve got lots of great activities planned for the coming weeks. Our fifth podcast in our Healthy minds series is dropping which features our personal trainer Dean Nicholls and our very own Farm Source Manager Tim Roache. They will talk about fitness and the connection with mental health. We also have online mindfulness session with Sasha Graham and a webinar where you’ll gain some practical strategies and tools that foster mental fitness and will help you in your personal and professional lives!”
Discover the Best ‘You’ with Fonterra
If all of the perks and compassion we just outlined piqued your interest (and we know it did), we think it’s time for you to explore a future with Fonterra!
Simply head over to their dedicated employer profile and start exploring; we’re willing to bet they’ll have the perfect career path for any and all future workforce mavericks.
