Championing Mental Health at Gildan Australia

In 2023, Gildan’s entire Australian office became certified in mental health first aid, becoming equipped to identify and support those in need around them.

This World Mental Health Day, we sat down with the individual driving this initiative, David Hillen, Sales Director at Gildan, to learn more about the project’s inception and how he rallied the senior management team and his co-workers to heighten employees’ awareness around this topic.

What made you want to get mental health first aid certified?

Almost five years ago, I encountered a colleague who didn’t seem to be doing very well, and after a few conversations, it came to my attention that the individual was facing mental health issues.

At the time, I did my best to help the colleague – I connected the individual with a professional and made sure to regularly check-in. Today, I’m happy to say that the colleague is doing quite well.

This experience made me realize the importance of normalizing conversations around mental health and having the right tools to help those who need support. Motivated by this, I pursued a course provided by Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA).

When you first acquired the certification, did you envision this step scaling the way it did?

Not at all! It was only after I got certified that I realized the potential of this course in benefiting my network. I especially realized how useful it might be in the context of the workplace where most people spend the majority of their time. Our teams in the Australian office work closely together, so it seemed like the natural next step to encourage my colleagues to get certified, deepen our collective understanding of mental health, and create an even more open work environment.

To facilitate this, I became a certified trainer of mental health first aid myself, making the course more accessible to my network.

How did you rally the support of your colleagues and eventually the entire office, to acquire the certification?

Once I became a certified trainer, I approached the senior management team at our office to gauge their interest in the course, and the team wholeheartedly embraced this idea. From there, it was a matter of promoting the training among employees.

We began offering it on an optional basis. Gradually, as people became certified and began noticing the positive effects of the training in both their professional and personal lives, more employees stepped forward to participate. Before we knew it, the entire office was certified!

Can you tell us more about your experience with the course?

I enjoyed the course and took away applicable concepts that have been valuable when helping those around me. The course covered four broad mental health topics, explaining theory and outlining concrete steps to be taken when responding to particular issues. More specifically, I learned how to recognize warning signs of mental health problems and how to intervene in a timely and effective way.

One of my key takeaways was learning how to speak about mental health. This has been extremely helpful in my endeavours to facilitate conversations around this topic.

What kind of changes did you notice at the office once this course had been completed by all employees?

When we initially decided to roll out the course among employees, we had two main objectives – the first was to normalize discussions of mental health in the workplace, and the second was to identify individuals around us potentially facing problems and provide timely, as well as the right kind of intervention. The training allowed us to achieve both objectives.

Now, more people at the office openly speak about mental health, fostering a safe space for everyone. I’ve also heard some great stories from co-workers about how the training has gone beyond the workplace to benefit people in their personal lives.

What advice do you have for anyone at Gildan and beyond looking to initiate a project or advocate for a cause that matters to them?

It only takes one person and one step to make a difference. What began as a gesture towards one of my colleagues, has now turned into an office-wide initiative. At a global organization such as Gildan, imagine the large impact the first step can have.

To anyone who is passionate about a cause, I’d encourage you to take that first step, lead by example, and spread awareness around the cause through education and conversation. 

To find out more about Gildan's respect for its people, click here.