Blog.

Our core values as a business are at their heart about putting people first in everything we do. That includes being authentic, collaborative, open, inclusive, together, being there for each other, honest and understanding of individual preferences. Cynozure is committed to supporting the health of our team and these core values look to provide a bedrock of positive health for our team.

Hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, it’s Mental Health Awareness week this week, 14th to 17th May 2019. The hashtag #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek and #MHAW2019 are being used on socials, so do get involved, share your stories, support others and raise awareness.

1 in 6.8 people experience mental health issues in the workplace, and nearly 13% of all sickness absence days in the UK can be attributed to mental health conditions, according to stats from the Mental Health Foundation.

We think these stats are way too high and Cynozure wants to help avoid these challenges for our team. This got me reflecting on whether we are doing everything we can in order to support our culture of putting people first.

We are continually looking to make sure we have the right tools and support needed to maintain or get back to positive physical and mental wellbeing. I’d be really keen on hearing from other businesses, leaders and individuals who have seen this done well so we can learn together.

What tools and support do we have right now?

• Our team have no set hours or set days. The team can work the times that best suit their circumstance and work commitments
• Everyone gets an unlimited holiday allowance so time to chill, paint the house, spend time with the family isn’t restricted by a specific set number of days
• We have no set place of work so everyone can work in the place that best helps them get their work done. This helps with that annoying furniture delivery between 08:00 and 18:00, getting the car serviced or minimising a long commute every day
• We have a mix of part time, full time, contracted, permanent members of the team to allow everyone to work in the way that most closely meets their own personal circumstance and needs. This helps us do things like support new mums and dads getting back in to work and maintaining the right balance
• The team all get access to our Employee Happiness platform that provides rewards and offers on food, drink, clothes, cinema, gym membership, dental cover and health insurance amongst other things (This is powered by Perkbox)
• We provide everyone with access to an online GP to minimise the stress and wait times often associated with trying to get an appointment at the local surgery (This is powered by Doctor Care Anywhere)
• We have an Employee Support Hub that provides the team with access to free and confidential access to qualified therapists for in the moment support for a range of issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, debt management family issues and so on. (This is powered by CiC)

This is all designed to create an environment that is super supportive and therefore minimises as many of the usual pressures and stresses of life that are so often the cause of problems. If problems do surface then we aim to give as much support as possible.

This Mental Health Awareness Week, have you thought about your own mental wellbeing? Or are you providing your team with the most support you can? I’d love to hear how you are coping yourself, or supporting your team – get in touch with us on Twitter.

Finally, if you’re interested in learning more about this topic, then we recently spoke to Jacquelyn Guderley, social entrepreneur and founder of MNTL HLTH, on our podcast about her own challenges with mental health and what organisations are doing and can do to support their employees. Have a listen here > RECOGNISING MENTAL WELLBEING IN DATA LEADERSHIP | HUB & SPOKEN EP. 23