In this month’s blog we have exciting news, and we share our thoughts on worklife balance. It’s also National Inclusion Week from 26 September, so we’ve been looking at our inclusivity workshop and thinking about what inclusion means to us.
An announcement!
We are so excited to announce that we are sponsors of the Sifted Summit at Magazine London on 5 and 6 October! With hundreds of founders, start-ups and investors, we’ll be taking our management and wellbeing programmes out to the world! We look forward to meeting some cutting-edge entrepreneurs and scaleups to explain how we can help keep their workplaces happy and productive.
“Startups are watching their pennies – some have made major cuts to their teams, others have slowed the pace of hiring. Stress trickles down from the top – how do you enable your people managers to support, engage with and retain your employees? What should you be doing to support the mental health of your teams?”
It will be interesting to hear what people on the ground think about this, and to hear what they’re doing to help their teams’ mental health. We’re getting our stand and materials ready and look forward to being a part of the buzz.
What does worklife balance mean for you?
We’ve been reading some articles on the Sifted website which show some shocking survey results about stress levels in start-ups. So, what can we do to make sure work is a positive experience?
In an ideal world, we’d have our jobs designed in such a way that wouldn’t feel like work and would roll into our leisure time. But with the current cost of living crisis, with many companies taking a hit and making layoffs, those left working have to pull out the stops.
How best can you look after yours and your team’s mental health?
It’s really important to separate work and homelife but that can be hard, especially for those of us who work from home.
Out of sight, out of mind. Make sure you can step away from your office or confine your work things to an area that’s out of sight when you relax on your breaks or after work. Also, try not to check work messages and email outside usual working hours. Preferably turn off notifications or don’t download work apps onto your phone.
Be sure to get fresh air. A walk or a run cost nothing and are great for mind and body. Or you can go online and follow one of thousands of exercise videos, perhaps try some hip hop moves or maybe you’d like to try Pilates, great for your back, core and mind when you’ve been huddled over a desk from 9 to 5.
Keep connected. Regular contact with your colleagues, and your family and friends, really does help. ‘A problem shared is a problem halved’ is a great adage. Saying what is bothering you out loud can sometimes be what helps. It gives you some perspective, and some reassuring words from a kind listener can make all the difference.
Focus on self-care. That doesn’t have to be about facemasks and preening, though there’s nothing wrong with a long soak at the end of a hard day. Self-care in terms of mental health is about finding what you love to do and making time for it. So that might be sport, a hobby or club, spending time with your family, having a coffee with a friend or getting outside to hike or climb, or even an hour to yourself to just sit and do nothing.
Mental Health Ambassadors
Catherine, our Mental Health Executive, has created an interactive, informative workshop for Mental Health Ambassadors who look out for their team’s mental health. We look forward to feedback from our client who we’ve collaborated with and have taken care to design the course for their workplace.
Inclusivity
As part of our leadership training programme, we’re creating an inclusivity module, so we’ve all been thinking about what this means and how this looks in the workplace. At our face-to-face meeting this month, Jo, our Creative & Marketing Manager, gave a presentation on body image with some interesting thoughts about judging someone’s lifestyle through their appearance. Inclusion to us, is about considering our own biases, including those which are subconscious, and looking ways to make the workplace more accessible and accommodating to all.
Keep talking
With all of these topics, connection and human contact are important. While a few of us may be true hermits, as was evidenced by some in lockdown, for the vast majority, we need connection.
So simply chatting to workmates about the things they’re interested in can be a way of making others feel safe to share, even if you might think on first appearance you don’t have much in common. And who knows, you may learn something interesting.
In this month’s blog we have exciting news, and we share our thoughts on worklife balance. It’s also National Inclusion Week from 26 September, so we’ve been looking at our inclusivity workshop and thinking about what inclusion means to us.
An announcement!
We are so excited to announce that we are sponsors of the Sifted Summit at Magazine London on 5 and 6 October! With hundreds of founders, start-ups and investors, we’ll be taking our management and wellbeing programmes out to the world! We look forward to meeting some cutting-edge entrepreneurs and scaleups to explain how we can help keep their workplaces happy and productive.
Louise, our Founder and Director, and Candice, our Learning & Development Consultant, will be hosting a fascinating roundtable – Times are tough, how do you keep your teams smiling?
It will be interesting to hear what people on the ground think about this, and to hear what they’re doing to help their teams’ mental health. We’re getting our stand and materials ready and look forward to being a part of the buzz.
What does worklife balance mean for you?
We’ve been reading some articles on the Sifted website which show some shocking survey results about stress levels in start-ups. So, what can we do to make sure work is a positive experience?
In an ideal world, we’d have our jobs designed in such a way that wouldn’t feel like work and would roll into our leisure time. But with the current cost of living crisis, with many companies taking a hit and making layoffs, those left working have to pull out the stops.
How best can you look after yours and your team’s mental health?
It’s really important to separate work and homelife but that can be hard, especially for those of us who work from home.
Out of sight, out of mind. Make sure you can step away from your office or confine your work things to an area that’s out of sight when you relax on your breaks or after work. Also, try not to check work messages and email outside usual working hours. Preferably turn off notifications or don’t download work apps onto your phone.
Be sure to get fresh air. A walk or a run cost nothing and are great for mind and body. Or you can go online and follow one of thousands of exercise videos, perhaps try some hip hop moves or maybe you’d like to try Pilates, great for your back, core and mind when you’ve been huddled over a desk from 9 to 5.
Keep connected. Regular contact with your colleagues, and your family and friends, really does help. ‘A problem shared is a problem halved’ is a great adage. Saying what is bothering you out loud can sometimes be what helps. It gives you some perspective, and some reassuring words from a kind listener can make all the difference.
Focus on self-care. That doesn’t have to be about facemasks and preening, though there’s nothing wrong with a long soak at the end of a hard day. Self-care in terms of mental health is about finding what you love to do and making time for it. So that might be sport, a hobby or club, spending time with your family, having a coffee with a friend or getting outside to hike or climb, or even an hour to yourself to just sit and do nothing.
Mental Health Ambassadors
Catherine, our Mental Health Executive, has created an interactive, informative workshop for Mental Health Ambassadors who look out for their team’s mental health. We look forward to feedback from our client who we’ve collaborated with and have taken care to design the course for their workplace.
Inclusivity
As part of our leadership training programme, we’re creating an inclusivity module, so we’ve all been thinking about what this means and how this looks in the workplace. At our face-to-face meeting this month, Jo, our Creative & Marketing Manager, gave a presentation on body image with some interesting thoughts about judging someone’s lifestyle through their appearance. Inclusion to us, is about considering our own biases, including those which are subconscious, and looking ways to make the workplace more accessible and accommodating to all.
Keep talking
With all of these topics, connection and human contact are important. While a few of us may be true hermits, as was evidenced by some in lockdown, for the vast majority, we need connection.
So simply chatting to workmates about the things they’re interested in can be a way of making others feel safe to share, even if you might think on first appearance you don’t have much in common. And who knows, you may learn something interesting.
Take care
The W&P Team x