THE DAY MYSELF’
help if they really want to.”
Thanks to charities like Mind, and campaigns such as Time to Change, for which Beth is a champion, she said people are now feeling more brave about being honest.
Beth said: “I did take time off and say it was for something else.
“There’s the fear of employers thinking you just want a day off, or that you’re not physically unable to come to work.
“I felt I had to be more dramatic in the symptoms so as to justify being able to be by myself and have a cry.
“I’m so lucky that in more recent years employers have been so accepting, supportive and encouraging.”
Mind Cymru said that it wants more employers to create an atmosphere where workers can come forward with mental health issues.
Head of policy and influencing at Mind Cymru Simon Jones said: “We know many employees struggling with stress or poor mental health don’t feel able to come forward to ask for help.
“This can lead to people coming into work when they aren’t well enough to and struggling through the day, when they should be taking some time to look after their mental health and get the right support.
“Staff may feel concerned about talking about their mental health at work and asking for time off, as stigma is still prevalent in the workplace.”
A number of companies and the emergency services in Wales offer dedicated mental health support for staff.
Admiral, which employs thousands across Wales, offers employees a number of mental health services, ranging from 24-hour access via phone or an app to counselling support.
Admiral employee health and wellbeing manager Rebecca Walters said: “As well as supporting staff who have mental health problems, we also recognise our role in helping our staff maintain a healthy mind and removing any kind of taboo around mental health.
“As well as providing a supportive and fun workplace, we have specific schemes and initiatives to ensure mental health is continually talked about and to help our staff maintain good mental health.”
The Welsh Ambulance Service said they take the mental health of their staff “very seriously” and have specialist support for staff who attend traumatic incidents.