It’s world mental health day on Sunday and the significance of this day has undoubtedly increased since the pandemic. This year’s theme, set by The World Health Organisation is ‘Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality.’
I’ve endeavoured to make mental health care a reality in my business since 2019 when I introduced a wellbeing policy for all employees, and here’s why.
I work in the PR industry, and we bring brands to life, generate impact and create meaningful connections across different platforms which is very exciting. I’m hugely passionate about PR and communications and love what I do, but it can also be stressful.
We work long hours and the ever-changing industry parameters and demands can be testing. As a PR practitioner it’s also my job to be very connected (usually via my iphone) via social media, emails and countless Whatsapp groups. It can be non-stop, relentless and sometimes I want to throw my phone out of the window.
Maybe you can relate to this feeling (or not!), but as Ariana Huffington said at the World Government Summit in Dubai in 2019, attachment to mobile phones was going to lead to a “worldwide burn out.”
I’m experienced in the world of business, so can handle most of these work stresses and it goes with the territory. But when I first started out in PR some 20 years ago things were vastly different. There wasn’t the technology there is now, so this ‘hyper connectivity’ environment we now see as the norm (and not just in the PR world) wasn’t there.
So, for me, the concern is for the younger workforce and future generation and their coping mechanism with this ‘always on’ approach, not to mention the effects of the pandemic still being felt around the world.
So, in January 2019 I did something I hadn’t heard of in the comms industry here, and created a wellbeing policy for all employees in order to help make our workplace a more happy environment for everyone. It includes things like annual mental health checkups with professionals, mindfulness training with Mindful ME, duvet days for when the team just aren’t feeling it, increased leave quotas, and a budget for individual wellbeing pursuits.
Since Covid, we upped the ante with an external ‘life coach’ (the awesome Sarah Knight at Mind the Gap) who developed a bespoke ‘CARE in comms’ course for as well as confidential one to one coaching and it took us from survive mode, to thrive mode. We also have monthly team socials, quarterly away days motivational speakers, external training flexible hours and a hybrid working model.
The result? A happy, highly motivated team who enjoy coming to work and doing great things for clients.
The pandemic has forced conversations around mental health in the workplace to the forefront, and I hope if you’re reading this that you have a policy in place in your organisation as I believe it’s absolutely vital for any business now and certainly not some ‘PR fluff.’
At Brazen MENA we shall be marking 2021 World Mental Health Day by closing the office for the day and doing things that benefit our mental health and wellbeing. I hope this inspires you to do something that makes you happy, even if it’s finishing work on time, putting your phone away and being in the moment, or doing something with a loved one.
Louise Jacobson, managing partner – Brazen MENA
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