As World Mental Health Day approaches Suffolk based communications agency Pier has announced its commitment to mental health & workplace wellbeing, appointing its first Mental Health Champion and investing in company-wide workshops and initiatives to embed health and wellbeing into the very foundations of the company.
Pier began its commitment to workplace health in earnest at the start of 2019 by putting ‘People and Wellness’ on the agenda for its annual away day, at which the company engaged with the whole team to establish what wellness meant to them. With the team’s help Pier incorporated wellness into its company values, appointed office manager Lisa Smith as Mental Health Champion and published its Health and Wellbeing Policy.
Pier has taken many measures to promote positive healthy attitudes, including providing standing desks, encouraging walking meetings, offering ‘Wellness Action Plans’ to all team members, awarding an extra day of annual leave per year and offering flexible working options including a companywide working from home day each month.
Pier continues to strive to promote positive physical and mental health and wellbeing in its everyday working practises as well as encouraging staff to consider their wellbeing outside of work. The agency incorporates wellbeing into its team discussions and internal presentations as well as calling on the resources of local and national providers such as Mental Health First Aid England, Suffolk Mind, Wellbeing Suffolk, Health Assured and St. Johns Ambulance.
By delivering continuous positive messages around the importance of physical and mental wellbeing, along with providing training, awareness materials and signposting staff to local agencies and resources, the company aims to, over time, embed a sustainable culture of openness and support that will make Pier not only an award-winning agency, but an award-winning employer that encourages employees to bring their whole self to work.
Kate Bowden Smith, MD at Pier, comments: “Pier has always believed that continued, effective employee engagement, together with flexibility, trust and a supportive culture of inclusion and wellbeing is an integral part of the success of our business. Our people are our most valuable assets and if they are healthy and happy, they will be the greatest ambassadors of our brand and values.”
World Mental Health Day (10th October 2019) is a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma. It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organisation with members and contacts in more than 150 countries.
