What is Brew Monday?
Brew Monday is an awareness raising day promoted by The Samaritans which aims to bring people together and start conversations over a brew. The name Brew Monday is used as an alternative to the negativity created around the name Blue Monday which is usually described as taking place on the third Monday in January.
Is Blue Monday Actually A Thing?
Blue Monday was initially created as part of a marketing campaign by Sky Travel in 2005 to entice people into booking holidays. It is claimed that creating this day and giving the third Monday in January the tagline of, “the most depressing day of the year”, was based on a formula created by the Psychologist, Cliff Arnall, that took into account how people feel at that point in January based on the following factors:
Weather, Debt, Monthly Salary, Time Since Christmas, Time Since Failing New Year’s Resolutions, Low Motivational Levels, The Feeling Of A Need To Action
The Mental Health Foundation points out though that there are actually no scientific studies to support the claims about Blue Monday and that it is a “myth” and a “PR event”. The Foundation also makes clear that everyone’s mental health varies throughout the year, everyone has good and bad days depending on their individual circumstances and that therefore trying to identify the most depressing day of the year is pointless.
The Impact Of Poor Mental Health At Work
According to data gathered by BUPA around 1 in 40 workers experienced work-related stress and poor mental health in 2021 and approximately 18 million working days are lost each year due to this reason, that’s over 50% of all absence from work which is attributed to one reason. That statistic alone should make businesses sit up, pay attention and be more pro-active in supporting their employees. As well as absence, poor mental health can lead to other issues in the workplace. If staff have something worrying them then they are also likely to be distracted, less engaged, less productive and depending on their role they could also be putting themselves and others at risk as a result of accidents due to poor concentration. Therefore, it’s important for employers to try and manage the issues through a range of interventions and Brew Monday is a great way to start the year off and give employees some time and space to talk.
Brew Monday Suggestions
The Samaritans have produced a tips leaflet to help people to notice the signs of when something might not be quite right with someone, to start a conversation and to be a good listener. There is no expectation that all these things will happen on Brew Monday and people are not expected to become experts who can solve everyone’s problems. The idea is that if someone is struggling then by having opportunities for conversations and seeing that people are willing to listen, it will encourage those in need to feel able to chat and start to seek help. You could hold a New Year team get together, a coffee and cake morning, an unwanted Christmas gift swap shop or anything else that will bring people together and give them the chance to start conversations.
Awareness days are great for getting specific messages out but if you decide to take part in Brew Monday then make sure that there are other similar events throughout the year and that this isn’t just a one off. Make genuinely caring conversations the norm in your business.
Do you have questions about Brew Monday?
Give us a call at CUBE HR on 01282 678321, we’ll be happy to advise you and we have policies and templates available to meet every HR need.
Why not check out our blog on a similar topic Blue Monday: Fact or Fiction?
We also have a YouTube channel with loads of handy videos
