My first thought when seeing "Blue Monday" all over the news and Twitter was that it must be another marketing ploy. A self-styled depressing day where we all treat ourselves in the shops or wallow in post-holiday misery...

Having just got back from skiing (excuse the small brag), I thought blue Monday had been very real for me! A seemingly never-ending to-do list and countless unread emails do not make for the happiest of starts to the day - but that is just a minor whinge. Reading the stats from the CV-Library's survey, I'm alarmed at how many individuals admit to suffering from a degree of mental health-related issues triggered by stress at work. 

It's fantastic to see people like Bertille Calinaud suggesting using days like Blue Monday to highlight these issues and encourage employers and employees alike to open up communication around mental health.

Duncan Rzysko comments that it should be the responsibility of all levels of a firm to ensure they are supporting the mental health of their workers should really resound with the masses. 

These comments come just before the gender pay gap data for firms over 250 employees is due to be released. This will be sure to cause friction and it is imperative that firms keep the channel of communication open and ensure they are being supportive at every level.