Mental health campaigner tells travel company bosses to lead from the top
Travel company bosses need to lead from the top when it comes to protecting the mental health of their employees.
This was the view shared by feature writer, columnist, and mental health advocate Bryony Gordon in a session at this week’s ABTA Travel Convention in Seville.
Gordon, who interviewed Prince Harry about his mental health as part of the launch of his Heads Together campaign, said there is still too much stigma attached to mental health problems and companies need to address this.
"We feel ashamed to ask for time off for an illness that is in our head, but when a company invests in having a happy, healthy workforce it is automatically increasing its productivity."
She encouraged companies to train up mental health first aiders in the workplace.
"There are really simple courses people can do to teach them how to talk with people who are in crisis," she said.
"Companies should also be encouraging people to look after their mental health on a daily basis. Physical health and mental health are completely entwined and the stigma will only be gone when we talk about ‘health’ and don’t separate the two."
A poll during the conference session asked delegates whether they would feel comfortable telling their boss about a mental health problem.
It found 56% of delegates would feel comfortable.
Gordon said she was surprised by the figure, expecting that fewer would feel comfortable.
"There is still a long way to go," she said. "The statistics say one in four people have experienced mental health issues in the last year, so there is someone in this room who has suffered. The way the illness thrives is by people who are suffering keeping it to themselves and not connecting with the other people. That’s why we need to talk more about mental health."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025