Sarah Draper, RLB UK’s Head of People & Culture, reflects on the importance of mental health awareness now and in the future.
Like many organisations we celebrated Mental Health Awareness Week here at RLB UK last week with a number of initiatives to support our teams at what we know for many is a challenging and uncertain time. With many of us having had to change our working environment overnight and evolve our practices to respond to the impact of the pandemic, we know more than ever we all need to be aware of and look after our wellbeing and our physical and mental health.
One of the attributes that attracted me to RLB when I joined last month was the culture and sense of team spirit, and this inherent focus on People & Culture was reinforced during Mental Health Awareness Week.
Throughout the week we saw the RLB UK team join in team building activities that spread the week’s theme of ‘kindness’. It was apparent that for all of us at RLB UK, looking after each other extends beyond just one week, and is integrated into our roles every day of the year. Being part of a team, nurturing our collective talents for the greater good, being able to listen when needed, asking our colleagues how they are and ensuring we all have the right work/life balance is as important as those qualities outlined in our job descriptions.
So, our UK team came together to join in Mindful Monday with live yoga sessions, we reached out to other colleagues or members of our wider community on Thoughtful Tuesday, and we chatted and shared advice on how to stay connected with each other and with our clients on World of Work Wednesday. On Teamwork Thursday we got involved in fun team activities including bingo, book club , virtual birthday celebrations and team and office wide quizzes, and on Fitness Friday we challenged the team to get involved with our ongoing RLB Active fitness initiative.
At RLB UK people and our culture are key to our business, we know that a happy and healthy workforce creates a team that enjoys their work and shares this passion and enthusiasm with their clients. We know that encouraging our team to look after themselves and each other, bringing their whole selves to work and supporting them with their wellbeing produces a healthier, happier and more collaborative team. We know that highlighting mental health can bring our team together and help us work as one RLB, not just for one week, but into the future.
Photo: Our team getting involved in team building activities throughout the week
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