For businesses like ours, where people spend much of their time caring for customers, it is easy to overlook our own wellbeing and that of the colleagues around us. Awareness days, such as Time to Talk Day (5 February), are an important reminder that taking a moment to check in with one another can make a real difference.
At Travel Counsellors, we have seen how powerful a strong sense of community can be in nurturing mental health. When people feel safe to talk openly, ask for help, and know they will be listened to without judgement, it creates a culture built on trust, resilience, and genuine connection.
Support often begins with something simple: asking a colleague, ‘How are you really doing?’ and taking a moment to listen. These small, everyday gestures, a conversation over a cup of tea, a quick check‑in between calls, can have a meaningful impact when they happen consistently.
Alongside these informal moments, structured initiatives play an important role. Within our community, this includes over 50 trained mental health first aiders, access to counselling services, and participation in government‑backed mental health programmes. Community‑led initiatives such as Feel‑Good Friday coffee mornings, a menopause support group, and a cancer support network, help create spaces where people can connect through shared experiences. These efforts are most effective when woven into daily life, rather than offered as a one-off.
Celebrating the diversity of people’s identities and experiences is also central to building a supportive culture. We have five affinity groups, each designed to bring the community together around common experiences and causes. These groups foster empathy and understanding, making it easier for people to speak up and feel valued when they do.
Time to Talk Day encourages us all to pause, reach out, and start conversations that matter. When people feel heard, valued, and encouraged, they thrive, and that positive impact naturally then extends to the customers they look after too.
Karen Morris is engagement director at Travel Counsellors
