AROUND THE CLOCK AROUND THE CLOCK
In each issue we catch up with a health & safety professional to find out about their varied work/life balance. This month we spoke to with Jill Mead, Co-founder and MD at TalkOut, to find out what a typical day looks like for her.
career progressed, so did my fascination around how work environments could impact employee behaviour. This, alongside my own experience, is where my passion for mental health in the workplace began.
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WHAT DO YOU DO IN A TYPICAL DAY? No two days are the same really, which is what I
love about what I do. One week I might be on the road delivering training and consultancy to businesses across the UK and another week I might be forward planning and devising new strategies with my senior team.
5WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE WORK MOMENT?
Definitely the day the TalkOut brand was launched. I knew at that moment that we were doing something amazing and that we would change so many people’s lives in the workplace.
6WHAT’S THE BEST PART OF YOUR JOB? Changing people’s perception around mental
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WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES? As well as overseeing the strategic direction of
the business, I work with clients across a number of sectors to promote positive mental health within their organisations. As a team, our mission is to break the stigma that still exists around mental health in the workplace and for people to be able to speak out about their mental health without fear of consequences.
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HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE INDUSTRY? I experienced my own mental health issues in
the workplace and became curious about what organisations were doing to promote positive mental health. While many mental health groups and charities existed, I quickly identified a glaring gap for an organisation that could provide training, support and advice specifically related to mental health in the workplace. So, utilising my contacts from my years of commercial HR experience, combined with my passion for helping people thrive at work, I set up TalkOut with Jim Cockburn – a mental health advocate and Founder of the Martin James Group.
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WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE THIS JOB? My passion for people led me to the world of
HR where I spent over 18 years developing and implementing initiatives around culture and high performance for a number of businesses. As my
health. A lot of stigma around mental health comes from a lack of understanding. It’s great to witness those light bulb moments for people when they realise how common mental health issues are, how they as individuals can play a part in breaking the stigma and how our behaviour can impact others.
7WHAT’S THE WORST PART OF YOUR JOB? I love my work – every aspect of it. I can genuinely
say there are no parts of my role that I don’t like. It’s true what they say – if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.
8DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR ANYONE STARTING OUT IN THE INDUSTRY?
I think it’s really important to believe in what you do because that passion and drive will keep you going. I always try to remind myself that it’s not about the ‘what we do’ but about the ‘why’ – and I’ll often encourage my team to do the same.
9HOW DO YOU LIKE TO UNWIND? I love walking and spending time with my family.
I also volunteer as a Childline counsellor, which adds another dimension to my life. And I love amateur dramatics – although I haven’t done that for a while.
10WHAT CAREER WOULD YOU HAVE IF YOU WEREN’T DOING THIS?
Oh gosh, I think I’d like to be a TV presenter but I’m not sure I’d be brave enough.
www.talkout.org.uk www.tomorrowshs.com
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