Mental Health Awareness Week at mtc
The wellbeing of our team is hugely important at mtc, which is why we chose to get involved with Mental Health Awareness Week.
This year’s theme is Loneliness and when we were considering what to do, we had some clear objectives in mind. We wanted to create opportunities for connection, raise awareness and understanding around mental health and have some fun.
But most importantly, we wanted to find a way to open the conversation, reduce the stigma around mental health and create an environment in which any of our team members would feel comfortable speaking up if they were struggling.
Events at mtc
We kicked off by allocating everyone a buddy for the week.
With so many of our team now spread across the globe we wanted to break down some geographical barriers and get to know each other better. We threw everyone’s names into a random buddy generator and suggested activities and talking points each day, all aimed towards releasing the ‘happy’ hormones in the brain.
People shared photos of their walks in the sunshine, chatted about their favourite bands and (the best bit) shared photos of their extremely adorable pets!
We set up a Slack channel for the whole team and opened the conversation by sharing interviews with each of the directors.
Breaking the stigma
We want mtc to be a place where everyone feels supported and comfortable discussing mental health but we recognise that this type of culture starts at the top. I recorded individual Q&A sessions with the directors to discuss what mental health means to them, times they’ve struggled themselves and what they would say to anyone at mtc who might be struggling right now.
The sessions were candid, insightful and poignant and really set the tone for the week.
They also prompted others in the team to start sharing their own stories and experiences with mental health issues.
This was incredible to see – not only the bravery of those who felt comfortable enough to open up, but also the compassion and empathy demonstrated by their fellow colleagues. It definitely brought us together and reinforced the fact that this shouldn’t be a taboo subject, as it’s something that will likely affect us all at some point in our lives.
We ended the week on a high with a virtual event held on Microsoft Teams, where we had a company update and a quiz followed by an epic DJ set from our very own Creative Director, Euan Johnstone. We also brought people together in person where we could and each of our offices hosted their own celebration with colleagues in Bristol, Edinburgh, Riga and Dundee all getting together.
It’s been a great week here at mtc and this is just the start of the journey. We definitely want to keep the conversation going and the mental health of our employees will remain a top priority as we continue to develop our long-term wellbeing strategy.
Resources
There are valuable resources available to support your mental health. These include:
Staying mentally healthy when working from home
How to be mentally healthy at work
Breathing and relaxation exercises for stress
How to support mental health at work
Helplines/Services