Our People
Giving wellbeing much more than one week
There’s no doubt that the past year has challenged and changed us all in many ways. For our Firm, contending with COVID-19 underlined the importance of maintaining our mental health and amplified our ambition. Welcome to Wellbeing Month 2021.
“Most people now accept and realise that good mental health is just as relevant and important as physical health,” says Nick Hurley, our CAPability and Mental Health Partner. “It may be invisible to the outside world but it can be as debilitating and serious as any physical ailment.”
With this in mind, we set out to expand our ongoing wellbeing activities, including organising a four-week programme of opportunities to be more closely connected, take better care of ourselves and create a safe space to share our concerns. Wellbeing Month focused on mental wellbeing, but also incorporated a wide range of events, activities and resources to support better physical, spiritual, social and financial wellbeing.
One popular habit-forming initiative was the ‘Walk a Mile a Day’ for a month, bringing benefits to their health and raising money for the Charles Russell Speechlys Foundation and its partner charities.
Khulisa, a Foundation partner charity, played an important role during Wellbeing Month, providing training to 65 staff and Partners on developing resilience in their personal and professional lives.
The theme of Mental Health Awareness Week this year was nature. On one notable evening, staff were virtually transported to Costa Rica for a live-streamed wildlife drawing session. The event offered employees the opportunity to reconnect with art and travel and provided a welcome break from day-to-day stresses.
Innovative technology also played its part during the week. Through our Webex Wheel of Connections we recreated the informal office chats that help us find new friends across the Firm and welcome new colleagues. We also launched a new employee wellbeing app that provides easy access to resources to help us sleep, eat and breathe better.
Being a mindful business
We’ve looked at ways to reduce unnecessary workplace stress as we have begun moving back into the office. Part of the plan involves piloting the Mindful Business Charter, a practical framework that offers techniques and tools to help us be more thoughtful about the impact we have on each other. It’s not about working less hard or fewer hours, but working in a smarter, more considered way together, removing unnecessary workplaces stresses – to include changes as to how we communicate, conduct meetings and collaborate.
A word about being inclusive
“Most people now accept and realise that good mental health is just as relevant and important as physical health”
– Nick Hurley, CAPability and Mental Health Partner, Charles Russell Speechlys
76
stepped up. Partners and staff from across the Firm made a commitment to walking a mile a day during our Wellbeing Month challenge.
65
people received resilience training thanks to the charity partner Khulisa.
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Mental Health Awareness Week interactions. Our staff engaged enthusiastically with our Mental Health Awareness Week information and activities online.
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