3 Ways to Improve Mental Health in the Workplace

After the busy holiday season, January can be a difficult month and can put a strain on our mental health. After soaking up the festive joy and spending time with loved ones it’s difficult to come back to reality. Experts say this month is also prime time for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression that according to Psychology Today is estimated to affect 10 million people in the United States and can be prompted by the colder weather and fewer daylight hours. It’s no wonder what’s considered the most depressing day of the year, Blue Monday, falls within this month. 

Returning to work post holidays can also be difficult, a new year can bring new demands. We may not always feel supported or able to have these difficult yet important conversations about mental health at work. According to a recent survey conducted by Modern Health and Forrester Consulting, 74% of employees reported wanting their employer to care about their mental health but only half (53%) felt that they actually do. At M&C Saatchi One-to-One we recognise this, we have been and continue to take action to create a more positive mental health environment at work. Spearheaded by M&C Saatchi One-to-One’s Adam Reader, SVP Head of Strategy, and Tara Miskelly, account manager, check out the three initiatives we’ve started below as fodder for inspiration based on how well it has worked for our community.

1. Mental Health Mornings

We launched our mental health initiative in 2022 with 30-minute mental health mornings once a week. Here all team members could connect and check in with each other before a day of work and kickstart the day on an empowering note. Our team particularly enjoyed these meetings and it’s something we’re continuing to do on a bi-weekly basis to ensure we all get facetime (both in person and remotely) to check in with each other and have open conversations about how we’re feeling.

2. Mental Health Tips & Reminders

It can be hard to prioritize your mental health particularly when you’re busy. We wanted to encourage our team to look after themselves especially during hectic work periods. To do so, we shared little nudges designed to promote positive mental health habits e.g. ‘get up a stretch for 5 minutes’, ‘drink some water’, ‘get outside' and more. These reminders and tips proved to be fruitful with nearly 80% of employees saying it was their favorite activity when we launched our mental health initiative in Spring 2022. We continue to provide these nudges to remind people to take care of themselves even if it’s just doing something small for 5 minutes.

3. Mental Health Resource Pack

At M&C Saatchi One-to-One, we felt it was important to kickstart our mental health initiative with a mental health resource pack to educate our team not only on the stats around mental health but also where they could go to seek help within the company as well as outside of work. This pack included helplines, details on upcoming mental health charity events and will be refreshed every quarter to ensure the information is as up to date as possible.

Launching our mental health initiative proved to be a great success with around 90% of employees feeling the initiatives helped open the conversation of mental health in M&C Saatchi One-to-One. A standout result from employee feedback, all of which was submitted anonymously, was that around 78% of the team felt as comfortable talking about their mental health with colleagues as they would with friends and family. This shows the importance of creating a positive mental health environment at work in contributing to the overall wellbeing of your teammates. We’re continuing to listen to and trial suggestions from our team on how we can create an even more positive work environment. Specifically, we’re hoping to organize a mini speaker series in the coming months and work with a mental health charity or organize charity donations.

When asked about the initiative Madeline Madden, junior strategist said: "When the Mental Health Month initiative was launched, I was so excited to know this was something my company was prioritizing and vocalising. Knowing the company I work for cares about me as a human being allows me to be open and transparent about what is and isn’t working for me."

Hannah Kaplan, senior strategist further reiterated the importance of the initiative saying "M&C Saatchi One-to-One's prioritization of mental wellbeing has certainly resulted in clearer heads, impacting client-facing work, but has also allowed for healthier professional relationships built on trust and understanding."

"We are all continually learning and adjusting to ensure we foster a culture where mental health awareness is part of our everyday life. This has been an employee devised and led initiative which has really enabled us to authentically respond to the needs of everyone within our community," said Georgia Graham-Leigh, managing director at M&C Saatchi One-to-One.

We all know it’s important to look after our employee wellbeing. With the work we’re doing, we’re beating the winter blues and turning this month into an exciting, positive, and prospective one. 

Tara Miskelly is account manager for M&C Saatchi One-to-One