The Royal Opera House (ROH) has signed up to the Time to Change campaign. Organised by charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, its goal is to change attitudes towards mental health problems.
Formed in 2007, Time to Change works with employers, schools and other organisers to make sure “more people are open to talking and listening about mental health problems.” Other organisations to sign up are Transport for London, Royal Mail and WH Smiths.
“I want to make sure that the ROH is a truly great place to work,” said ROH chief executive Alex Beard. “A huge part of this comes down to mental health awareness, particularly how it relates to the workplace and how we all talk about it. I am therefore proud to put my full support behind this initiative and commit the ROH to changing the way we think and act about mental health now and into the future.”
Added Jo Loughran, director of Time to Change: “Too many people with mental health problems are made to feel isolated, ashamed and worthless, but with the right support, those of us with mental health problems can recover and have equal opportunities in all areas of life.
“Many leading employers have found that making a strategic commitment to the mental wellbeing of their workforce not only benefits their staff but also their bottom line, improving productivity and staff retention. With one in six British workers experiencing mental illness it’s time for businesses to make a change and start creating more mentally healthy workplaces.”
Time to Change is funded by the Department of Health, Comic Relief and the Big Lottery Fund.