8 March

How Wellbeing in the Workplace can help your business

Ahead of the launch of our pioneering mental health initiative This is Me, Partner & European Practice Lead Paula Bellostas Muguerza from Kearney took some time to answer a few questions around mental health in the workplace and also how our Wellbeing in the Workplace tool can help to develop businesses and employees training around mental health. 

Paula will be speaking at the launch of This is Me on the 9^th March alongside Paul Farmer, Mind, Paulette Cohen, Barclays, Paul Rennie, GSK, Kate McAusland, LSEG and Emily Rostamlou, AQA.

Why do you feel it is so important for workplaces to talk openly about mental health?

“We spend about one third of our adult lives at work—work should bring us joy, purpose, fulfilment.  Mentally healthy employees are more engaged and can bring their whole selves to work, ultimately leading to more joy in the workplace. That’s why, we need to continue having conversations around mental health because, throughout our working lives, we are all going to be moving on a spectrum of mental health. There are always going to be events and experiences in one’s personal and professional lives (sometimes both!) that can affect our mental well-being. Anyone can experience this but, with the right support, it doesn’t define who you are or prevent you from doing a great job.”

What can businesses do to help improve their employees mental health? 

“Recognize the importance of mental health in the workplace and the responsibility businesses have to care for their people’s health & well-being.” 

At Kearney, we have committed to:

• Continually improve the way mental health is perceived, openly discussed, and vigorously supported.
• Share lived experiences and raise awareness to normalize the fact that it is okay to not be okay.
• Provide resources, tools, and training to support our people with their mental health and overall well-being.

Do you feel that there is stigma around mental health and discussing it within the workplace?

“We have seen improvements in recent years but still more can be done to ensure employees feel safe to share how they are really doing and what support they need. Talking about mental health is one thing, but acting to bring about change has a greater impact. Leaders should share their experiences and stories openly to create a culture of action and support around mental health.”

What are the biggest challenges that 2022 brings to businesses around mental health?

The switch from reacting to preventing.
“In recent years, we have been reacting to the collective group trauma we’ve all been experiencing with the pandemic.  Now, with the pandemic easing, a return to hybrid work and the great reshuffle, businesses will need to re-examine their workplace’s mental health strategies to ensure they not only continue to show they care but also actively working to prevent well-being issues (e.g., preventative resources, focus on flexibility and balance, purpose-led behaviours).”

What are some of the benefits you have found from introducing Wellbeing in the Workplace within your organisation?

“The introduction of Well-being in the Workplace at Kearney helped to equip our colleagues with active listening skills and better understanding of how mental health affects us.  This, along with other initiatives including our internal This is Me campaign, helped spread the message that it is okay to not be okay across the firm, and demonstrated that we are committed to building a mentally healthy workplace and a culture of well-being.”

How easy was it to bring in this tool and any advice for someone just starting on their Wellbeing in the Workplace journey?

“With the continuous support of the Samaritans team, the implementation of Wellbeing in the Workplace at Kearney was smooth and quick, allowing us to quickly provide our colleagues with a short, self-paced but immediately impactful training offering. As the tool is freely available online, we had a group of internal stakeholders take the training and share their feedback before purchasing. Their supportive and positive responses confirmed that this was the right decision for our firm.”