Supporting the Mental Health and Wellbeing of All Our People

As we mark Mental Health Awareness Month in the U.S., we should take this moment to recommit ourselves to the mental health and emotional wellbeing of all of our people.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put pressure on everyone’s mental health, an emotional and psychological burden we continue to carry. The injustice and inequality so many people continue to experience in their daily lives only compounds this challenge. The mental health crisis is not new, but the urgency to confront it has only grown over the past year. People need help, especially now.

We made it through 2020 by staying connected and supporting each other as we struggled and grieved. I am confident we can find new ways to extend this extraordinary empathy and compassion and weave it even deeper into our culture.

That is why, last week, WPP announced it is becoming a founding partner of The Global Business Collaboration for Better Workplace Mental Health. One of the most important things we have learned is that we cannot face mental health crises alone, whether as individuals or as organizations. As part of this group, we will work with other companies and institutions around the world to share insights and best practices to help drive global change.

By joining this movement, we have also pledged to take practical steps to influence and inspire change in our own company and communities – encouraging an open culture that helps destigmatize mental health, making sure people have access to the support and tools they need, and measuring the impact of our initiatives. This work builds on the progress we have made, including expanding access to our Employee Assistance Program, a service that provides access to free, confidential counseling and support, to all our people globally. WPP employees can find details on wellbeing resources here, including events and programs to mark Mental Health Awareness Month.

I am proud of the way our people have responded over the past year, and grateful for the conversation our CEO Mark Read has opened up about mental health at WPP. As part of this new business collaboration, we will come together with other organizations to strengthen our commitment.

2021 will be marked by mixed realities and emotions, so we also need to anticipate how the challenge will evolve. We may feel the complex grief for lost loved ones, upended livelihoods, pressure on parents, missed childhood experiences. We will carry the long-term impacts of the pandemic, the lingering effects of lockdowns and isolation. At the same time, people who have been vaccinated might feel the joy of being reunited in-person with family, friends and colleagues.

More than ever, leadership will require grace and imagination to understand how different people will experience this shift. Empathy and compassion will guide us through the coming months. As we move through this new phase and continue to reckon with the fallout of the pandemic, we are as determined as ever to make mental health and wellbeing a central part of how we operate for many years to come.