Last week we hosted a week long programme of activities in the office to encourage awareness of workplace stress and mental health ​as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.

Our content director Ros Hill wrote a post about the importance of mental health in the workplace and employee wellbeing.

Why focus on mental health?

• It affects all of us​; 1 in 4 people experience a mental health issue in their lifetime
• There is still stigma despite the excellent progress made in recent years and the more open conversations that we have all been having​
• Stress can have a significant impact on mental health – feeling overwhelmed can lead to anxiety and depression, and even self-harm​
• Stress can also result in other health problems, such as heart disease, insomnia, and a poorly-functioning immune system​
• Work is an important factor when it comes to stress and mental health – the average person spends 90,000 hours in work over their lifetime​
• As a business we have a duty of care to ensure everyone is healthy and happy at work

Highlights from the week

To encourage awareness of workplace stress and mental health issues we hosted a week of activities in the office. We ended the week by coming together as a company to workshop some ways to explore mental health and how we can encourage our teams to manage stress in the workplace.

• ​Anti-Stress Kit with a gift voucher to spend at The Hive, our local independent cafe
• De-Stress Board where we shared tips & hints​
• No Email Day to encourage our colleagues to talk to each other and reduce email notifications
• ​Walking tour around Ravenscourt Park led by our CEO
• ​Mindfulness Massage from Xhilarate Office Massage ​
• ​Plus activities hosted by Blenheim Chalcot our venture builder including, Stress Less Monday talk from Dan Cobley​, Money Moments with Salary Finance​, Charity Bike Challenge​, yoga and more!​

Content across our media brands

In addition to our wellness programme, our editorial team also covered mental health issues to raise awareness across our professional accounting, finance and HR communities.

Accountancy Age​

• Eight ways to deal with stress in the workplace​
• How organisations can ensure good mental health ​
• How to find a good work-life balance as an accountant ​
• What are the Big Four doing to support mental health in the workplace?​

Financial Director ​

• What can CFOs put in place for their employee wellbeing?​
• Money can’t buy happiness ​
• Creating mentally healthy workplaces ​

HRD Connect​

• Alastair Campbell: One in one of us have mental health​
• Waking up after 40 years of depression and anxiety – HSBC​
• Interview with Ruth Sutherland, CEO, Samaritans ​
• Dissolving mental health stigma in the working world ​
• Mental health is not a weakness – we are all corporate athletes – KPMG​

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