Serco Caledonian Sleeper has a great new health and safety initiative which industry can learn from, writes Marianna White, Engagement Manager, RSSB.
Do you ever wake up with the feeling that you just can’t face the day? I do. We all do at some point, don’t we? And that’s the problem – many of us do but most of us don’t talk about it.
Does the picture on the right look familiar? Do you have racing thoughts that torment you at night? Do they stop you settling down? Have they magnified the fatigue that comes when the alarm goes off?
You’ll probably dread going into the mess room, office, signal box or dread logging on for fear of what you might find.
Around 10% of people will suffer from an anxiety disorder at some point; and around 20% of them will have unwanted intrusive thoughts.
There’s a lot of guidance out there to help people deal with this sort of thing, so Serco Caledonian Sleeper has set the innovators on stun and given the latest in their Campaign Comic series of health and safety publications a special focus on mental health.
Each edition is like an eye-catching graphic novel but with familiar faces, characters and situations, plus a strong and compelling health and safety message. The despair that can come with anxiety is very eloquently expressed in this edition.
The colours and the use of speech and thought bubbles, in classic comic style, grip the reader. They also show the two sides of the situation at the same time in a way that’s hard to achieve in film, and certainly in a report.
The path down which the reader is led takes them to Serco Caledonian Sleeper’s Employee Assistance Programme, which is of great help to the story’s protagonist.
Speaking to a professional about problems helps in many ways. On one level, solutions such as meditation can be offered, which can help manage anxiety and mental health conditions. On another, talking to someone will remind you that you are not alone. No one is, even if it might feel like that sometimes.
As Serco Caledonian Sleeper says: ‘Your mental health matters. No matter what mental health condition you’re facing, you don’t need to suffer alone. It starts by talking to someone about how you are feeling.’
Talking to someone will remind you that you are not alone. No one is, even if it might feel like that sometimes.
Discover the range of tools, training and resources RSSB has designed to help manage and prevent mental ill-health in the rail industry.
