Dentsu UK&I Achieves Silver at Mind’s Workplace Wellbeing Awards

Dentsu UK&I today reveals it has achieved a Silver Award at Mind’s sixth annual Workplace Wellbeing Index awards ceremony, recognising the advertising agency network’s commitment to workplace wellbeing and demonstrable achievements in promoting people’s mental health in the workplace.

Dentsu is one of 119 organisations to take part in the mental health charity’s Workplace Wellbeing Index this year. It is a benchmark of best policy and practice, celebrating the good work employers are doing to promote and support positive mental health, and providing key recommendations on the specific areas where there is room to improve. 

The online event was hosted by Mind’s chief executive Paul Farmer, took place on the 23rd June and saw people from a wide range of organisations come together to celebrate the awards. 

Anne Sewell, chief people officer, dentsu UK&I said, “We’re really proud to achieve Silver at Mind’s important Workplace Wellbeing Index awards. Our people’s health and wellbeing are top priorities at dentsu because we know that healthy, happy people who feel valued, supported and free to be themselves are inspired to do the best work of their careers.

Mind’s recognition is testament to our incredibly passionate wellbeing committee – the driving force behind our commitment to create a mentally healthy workplace where everyone’s mental health is supported and respected. It reflects our dedication to providing a caring and inclusive hybrid working environment that provides the flexibility for people to manage their work, life and personal responsibilities in a way that works best for them.” 

In the last year the agency network has increased wellness time off - offering everyone three Wellness days off in addition to annual leave; launched access to a remote GP service, free counselling provision and an ever-growing community of mental health first aiders called Kind Minds who are in place across the business and trained to offer one-to-one support if people, or someone they are concerned about, are experiencing a mental health issue or emotional distress. Plus, a year-round calendar of in-person and virtual dentsu events aim to help remove the stigma and normalise the conversation around mental health.

Mental health problems are common among people employed in the UK. Mind surveyed almost 42,000 people across the 119 employers participating in the Index. The Index 2021-22 has seen a mix of returning organisations eager to assess the impact of their newly implemented wellbeing initiatives as well as first-time organisations starting their journey to improve their people’s wellbeing.

Emma Mamo, head of workplace wellbeing at Mind, said, “Over the last year, covid-19 has continued to affect our lives and in particular the way we work, and it is reassuring that, in its sixth year, the Workplace Wellbeing Index continues to be the foremost benchmark of best policy and practice for supporting mental health at work.  

“I’m pleased to see the number of organisations participating in the Index continue to increase annually with 41,927 staff from 119 organisations across the UK taking part this year. Change has continued to be one of the few constants across workplaces in recent times and whilst this provides the opportunity for improved ways of working, getting to grips with the ‘new normal’ can, at times, be difficult for employers and employees alike.

“The shift to remote working during the pandemic brought about significant challenges to many of us but for people who are neurodivergent this change could be particularly difficult to navigate. Evidence has also shown that covid-19 has exacerbated the health and economic impacts for people from racialised communities and women in the UK[1][2] These additional stresses and an increased focus on diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace more broadly has shone a light on the importance of topics such as intersectionality more than ever before. With all of this in mind, there is a growing need for employers to offer mental health and wellbeing support that considers the unique experiences and needs of each staff member.”