Monday 18 May 2020 marks the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Week and this year the theme is “kindness”. In order to draw attention to the impact of work on mental health – both positive and negative – we have recorded a special episode of the QMS Good Business Podcast.

In the episode Dr Laura Steele is joined by Tom McEneaney, Head of Business Development and Support Services with AWARE-NI; Dr John Moriarty, a lecturer in the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work and Fellow of the Centre for Evidence and Social Innovation at Queen’s University Belfast; Dr Trisha Forbes, postdoctoral research fellow on the iAmAware Project; Dr Heike Schroder, a lecturer in Queen’s Management School; and Michael Willis, a director at PwC based in their Belfast office.

On the release of the episode, Dr Steele said: “It has been estimated that the average person will spend approximately 90,000 hours at work over the course of their lifetime. In addition to money, work can be a source of pride, identity, and achievement. However, research indicates that workers are reporting increasing levels of stress and job-related burnout”.

She continued, “For many, the Coronavirus pandemic has only increased the pressure they are under, sometimes to intolerable levels. We have brought together experts from clinical practice, academia, and business to discuss how organisations can support the mental health of their staff, as well as offer practical tips on how we can protect our own wellbeing at this difficult time”.

The episode is available via the Queen’s Management School website, iTunes, and Mixcloud.

For the latest information on the QMS Good Business Podcast and our other work within this area, please visit our webpage.