Edition 30 - Mental Health Hacks - Part 1.

Hey folks,?

This week we had World Mental Health Day which although shouldn’t be a single point in time where we consider mental health, it does remind us to reflect on what we are doing both for ourselves and for the company we’re in.?

For me personally, mental health is about resilience. If you can find what motivates you and keeps you going then you will never truly allow yourself to hit the floor. Instead of giving air to that inner negative voice which tethers you back, I choose to practice self awareness and figure out what drives me towards a positive attitude in everything I do. I like to think of these drivers as ‘mental health hacks’ which allow me to manipulate myself into doing what I want to do. We all have forces driving us and stopping us, and good mental health for me is about understanding and harnessing our energy to achieve the outcomes we want.??

Anyone that knows me knows that I have a sneaker addiction, but I am not out of control. I reward myself with them strategically and only buy a new pair when there’s somewhere I need to be, that needs me to bring my ultimate game or when I’ve delivered something awesome. This is my mental health hack. But more on my approach in next week’s issue.?

This week I’d like to introduce Mel Harker, People Assistant at 11:FS and all round awesome Wellness Committee member. Mel is going to talk a little bit about what our hacks are at 11:FS and why we feel mental health should be a priority at all times, not just at this time.?

Over to you Mel. ??????

Why is mental health important in business?

Thanks David! Hey everyone, as David mentioned I wanted to jump into this week’s Double-click and share what we are doing at 11:FS to contribute to our employee’s happiness, and how this positively impacts their mental health. Hopefully you will find some useful takeaways…?

At 11:FS, we know that mental health and wellbeing must always be a priority when nurturing a high-performance culture. Ultimately an employee's holistic wellbeing plays a key role in overall business success, while also improving our Eleven's quality of life. We all do our best and feel our best when we feel supported and are encouraged to be fully present and engaged in the moment, without distraction or judgement.

As an organisation we recognise that wellbeing is a much broader concept than moment-to-moment happiness; it's about ensuring our Elevens have the appropriate resources to feel supported no matter what. That's why we are pushing to not only destigmatise mental health, as it affects us all, but also keep the conversation and support going beyond mental health awareness day or week.?

With that being said, what are we actually doing about it at 11:FS?

Mental Health Hacks at 11:FS.

When it comes to wellbeing, our mission is to proactively support our Elevens to navigate any mental health challenges they may be facing with empathy and sensitivity as we know that life can throw some really sh*tty curveballs.

Being proactive can have significant effects on employee wellbeing, inside and outside the workplace. In July 2022, Mental Health First Aid England reported that a staggering 50% of employees had experienced some form of burnout as a result of increased role expectations, lack of social interaction, and eroded boundaries between work and home life. There is no denying there is a lot to do here and I'm sure we can all relate to this statistic, particularly after the COVID pandemic where we saw first hand those boundaries dissolve as bedrooms became offices and kitchen tables became conference rooms.?

With the dedication of our Wellbeing Committee at 11:FS, we continue to embrace vulnerability and make sure mental health is high on everyone's priority list. We do this in three ways:?

1. Manager support. Our managers are well equipped, through support of our trained mental health first aiders, to spot early signs of mental health decline, so that we can proactively support each and every individual. In the spirit of embracing vulnerability, we opened up conversations around mental health through ‘Time to Talk’ days, where our Elevens had a safe space to share stories and discuss important issues relating to their individual experiences associated with mental health.
2. Education. More recently we invested in several external sessions with SelfSpace , a contemporary mental health service that offers company-wide conversations with qualified therapists. A few weeks back we had a brilliant workshop from the team that helped employees to navigate burnout, a common factor contributing to a decline in mental health in the workplace.
3. Employee Benefits. We have an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) but we have also heavily invested in our Private Medical Insurance to ensure our Eleven’s have access to the best health care, therapists, and counsellors at all times. Physical health, and the health for our loved ones can significantly impact our mental health therefore getting these basics right was a no-brainer decision. We work at our best when we are feeling our best.?

The mental health journey is only 1% finished for our Wellbeing Committee. We are constantly trying to evolve our approach and think of new exciting initiatives to support our Elevens. Some are short-term spirit lifters and others aim to have a lasting impact.?

With this iterative approach in mind, this year the People and Culture team kicked off a policy refresh. Many of our policies have been updated to flexible frameworks, meaning we can approach situations using our judgement and deal with challenging situations on a case-by-case basis. For example, when it comes to bereavement, we know that there isn’t a one size fits all approach when it comes to grief. We remain human in our approach and work closely with the employee to make sure they have the support and time off they need and feel ready to come back to work at their own pace. Being empathetic is one of our fundamental attributes to our Team value at 11:FS, therefore we want to ensure that we embody these values through our policies and everyday working life. ??

One more tactic to call out which has evolved well is our events calendar. Off the back of Mental Health Awareness week in May 2022, we launched our internal events calendar with the hope of bringing our Elevens together through shared interests, and to build those essential internal bonds. By creating the calendar, Elevens were able to organise internal activities and events autonomously, helping to combat any feeling of loneliness, by creating smaller networks and increasing a sense of belonging.?

Since May, we’ve seen the emergence of several internal clubs, such as the 11:FS run club, yoga, fun fitness club, swingers club (a.k.a golf club before you ask!) and dinner club, all of which have been a great success. We’ve also witnessed increased participation in already existing clubs such as the dog watch club, where many of our Elevens share pictures and stories of their fur babies, which naturally have sent our serotonin levels through the woof (sorry, that was a paw pun!).

The future of mental health at 11:FS.?

So that’s where we’re at right now, but what have we got coming up for our Elevens, and where do we hope to be next year??

Before I go into this, it’s important to note that these initiatives, whether past or ongoing, only work because we continuously foster a trust-based culture. We pride ourselves on how we treat our Elevens. Using our values as a yardstick for everything we do, we make work, work for them. Small wins that we’ve built into our workplace culture, such as allowing our Elevens to flex their hours around childcare or rush hour, really contributes to positive mental wellbeing. We also have ‘Me Time’ on a Friday from 3pm, which grants our Eleven’s autonomy to use their afternoon as they wish to focus on them. Me Time is one ritual that showcases our trust-based culture. Our flexibility was even recognised by Flexa, who listed us as the ‘most flexible consultancy’ in their 2022 Industry Awards.

Regarding upcoming initiatives and events, we think creating a safe space where our Eleven’s can go to ask questions on the topic of mental health, share their experiences and educate one another, is essential to making a difference to wellbeing. So with this in mind, we’ve just launched a company-wide wellbeing Slack channel, where we will be sharing statistics, resources, and support services. We will also be using this platform to kick off essential discussions on key themes such as depression, anxiety, burnout, loneliness, financial wellbeing and much more. With this, we hope to educate our Elevens, bring them together, and create a safe space to seek support. Our Lead Customer Strategist and one of our members of the Wellbeing committee, Hannah Pitts, also designed and kicked off an interactive gratitude board following World Mental Health day. It’s been amazing seeing our Eleven’s share tips on how they unwind, what they are grateful for and their affirmations to inspire self-care across the company.

Moving into 2023, we will be launching surveys using our new feedback platform Culture Amp , which will provide insights into where we may be missing the mark, what’s working and what our Elevens want to see from us. We hope that by getting their feedback, we can implement actions that can genuinely make 11:FS a company where mental wellbeing for all is at the heart of our culture.

That’s it from me. Back to you David.?

Thanks Mel. Hugely appreciate the work that you and the People team do to make 11:FS a great place to work. ??

That wraps up this week’s edition folks. I’d love to know more about what you do at your company to promote good mental health. Drop them in the comments and let’s keep talking.?

Speak soon. ????

D