Did you know….
- Nearly a third (32%) of us find ourselves thinking about work in our personal time, causing us stress.
- Close to a quarter (23%) of us compromise our health to get work done; 16% of us compromise relationships.
- One in five of us say that ‘powering through’ stress is part of our organisational culture.
These concerning statistics come from a recent survey by the Mental Health Foundation and show how often poor mental health can be linked to our working lives.
Gemserv has always been passionate about creating a workplace culture that supports good mental health and enables people to seek help when they need it. Our commitment to this has never been more important than at present, with mental health issues in the UK on the rise.
In recognition of this research, and to continue to promote our progressive approach to mental health and creating a positive workplace culture, Gemserv has been taking part in Mental Health Awareness Week 13th -17th May 2019. This nationwide campaign week aims to raise awareness of mental health and mental health problems while inspiring action to promote the message of good mental health for all.
We have been hosting a range of activities to raise awareness and equip people with tools and information to take action; such as advice on healthy eating and sleeping, well-being sessions and yoga.
Louise Singleton, Senior Client Manager, took part in one of the stress-busting yoga sessions we hosted and said, “I definitely felt like I’d grown a couple of inches when I walked out of the room! It was my first yoga session and I can completely see why people do it, as it allows you to take a break from the world for an hour and focus on you. I personally found it really relaxing and would love to do it on a regular basis.”
We also hosted well-being sessions, run by Holly Harman from Creative Wellness, who showed staff relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises, yoga nidra and emotional purge writing.
James Robinson, Strategy Analyst at Gemserv said, “I came out of that session feeling like I’d had a good sleep! I took a lot from the training, from recognising signs of stress in your body to quick techniques to relieve stress and relax. Super quick and easy things to practice, but they’ll make a big difference to my everyday stress levels.”
To further embed a positive, long term cultural change across the company, Gemserv has also recently appointed fully trained Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAS), to encourage people to access support when it’s needed. We also have initiatives such as the BUPA EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) available for all employees, our Mental Health Awareness training for all Line Managers, and general awareness sessions for all employees.
To find out more about Mental Health Awareness Week click here.
Interested in joining us?
To find out more about what it’s like to work at Gemserv watch our video.