Marking World Mental Health Day 2024

Thursday 10 October 2024 is World Mental Health Day and this year’s theme, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is: “It is time to prioritise mental health in the workplace”.

At HLK, we are committed to creating a considerate and creative workplace, where all colleagues feel safe and supported. It’s important to us that we foster a safe space for our people to prioritise their mental health and wellbeing without stigma. We also want them to feel empowered and have the right support to be able to encourage their colleagues to do the same.

Fostering good mental health at work

This year’s theme for World Mental Health Day resonates with us as it highlights the importance of a supportive workplace, one where good mental wellbeing is nurtured. It also aims to increase awareness of fostering good mental health at work, something we strongly believe in, and how it benefits individuals and teams, and the wider firm.

We are very aware of the importance of good mental health in the workplace – in fact, we have had an active Mental Health and Wellbeing group for several years now. This diverse group of volunteers, along with our fantastic cohort of Wellbeing Champions from all over the firm in all different job roles, focuses on raising awareness of mental wellbeing. They bring many different perspectives to guide our approach and thinking. One of their main priorities is to enable everyone to feel safe and confident in talking about their mental health or any issues they may be encountering.

What is HLK doing?

To mark the day, we are organising coffee catch-ups hosted by our Wellbeing Champions. These will give our colleagues the opportunity to say hello to and get to know the new additions to our group of Wellbeing Champions, learn more about mental wellbeing, the resources we have available and generally have a good conversation with a cup of coffee (or tea) and a slice of cake!

Our Wellbeing Champions are all Mental First Health First Aiders who have undertaken training and are fully equipped to have that all important conversation if a colleague is struggling with their mental health.

Insights from our Wellbeing Champions

To mark World Mental Health Day, we asked our Wellbeing Champions about how they prioritise mental health in the workplace.

How do you prioritise mental health in the workplace?

“I take time out to have regular breaks and if the weather is sunny, I go for a walk or just sit on the balcony in the sun on my own to have five minutes peace and quiet.

If you’re confronted with a problem that you know will make you react in a negative way, write down how you feel and how you want to respond to the situation. If time allows, sleep on it and re-read your thoughts the following day to get a clear perspective on how you want to resolve the issue. I find this helps put me in a more positive frame of mind.”

– Claire Matthews

What’s your top tip for good mental health at work?

“My top tip for good mental health at work is to share any worries.  Whether it’s with a trusted colleague, Mental Health First Aider or your line manager, sometimes just talking to someone can make things feel a little less overwhelming.”

– Caroline Watters

“My tip for good mental health at work is to stay connected with colleagues, all the more so in this new world of hybrid working.”

– David Lewin

Here is David talking about how he prioritises wellbeing.

What does wellbeing at work mean to you?

“Contextualising work within life’s broader emotional landscape. Day to day, work should be something positive, enjoyable and constructive. And mostly it is. But it certainly isn’t always, with some days more taxing and affecting than others. At these times, I try to actively frame work as just one of the many different and wonderful areas where I derive meaning and purpose. It is not the be all and end all!”

– Oliver Poskett

“There will always be more challenging and more stressful periods at work, however for me, wellbeing at work means being able to cope during these periods, still feel like you’re in control and be able to enjoy them at the same time”

– James Bowen

Here is James speaking about how he prioritises his mental health in the workplace.

What does being a Wellbeing Champion mean to you?

“I am passionate about looking out for each other, encouraging positivity and improving the wellbeing in our working environment. As a carer myself I know how important it is to share the ups and downs life throws at you.”

– Susan Antoine

As part of our commitment to mental health and wellbeing, we continue to support Jonathan’s Voice which was set up in 2017 in memory of Jonathan McCartney. This year, we’ve hosted bake sales across our offices, a Christmas raffle and had a team running in the Bristol 10K, all to raise funds for the charity. Colleagues have also taken part in several webinars hosted by Jonathan’s Voice on mental health in the workplace.

Jonathan’s Voice aims to increase understanding of mental health and suicide risk to reduce stigma, educate organisations to create the right support structures, and support research into suicide.

As well as organising activities throughout the year, our Mental Health and Wellbeing group has pulled together a collection of useful resources for our colleagues to refer to and use as and when they need to, which are signposted on our employee portal for easy access.

Some of these are from Jonathan’s Voice, which has a fantastic range of resources and guides especially for people working in the intellectual property profession, who are looking to improve their mental health and wellbeing, and advance the agenda in the workplace.