I think by and large we are past the days of the British “stiff upper lip”, but we can all agree there is always more that can be done to combat mental health. Especially in the work place.
I’ve kicked off my new years resolution (I know, it’s a few weeks late) by starting a video series about mental health.
In today’s video I discussed what we do, but also invited others to discuss what their work places’ do to help mental well being.
I’m very lucky that at Hinterview, we have a few initiatives that supplement our mental well being rather nicely!
Dress down Fridays, an office dog, team outings and my personal favourite, longer lunch breaks for those going to the gym, to name but a few.
In this day and age, everyone wants a “Google-esque” office set up, but is this conducive to sound psychological mental health? It certainly seems most Startups think so. What do you think?
For me personally, I think our office falls in-between the bracket of “typical corporate setup” and the “Google-esque/Startup” set up I referred to earlier. I.e. we all have a set desk and position based on our team, but we also have a kitchen and very relaxed office atmosphere (with a dog!).
I mentioned earlier that I’m interested in what more can be done to create a mental health friendly office.
Many offices encourage “agile working”, the idea that maximum flexibility and movement within the office and actual working hours will increase productivity and work flow. But what does that actually mean? An example is, hot-desking: the ability to work at any desk in the office, freeing you up physically and ensuring you can change things up whenever you want!
Flexi hours does what it says on the tin. Flexible hours, if you come in earlier, you can leave earlier. Perhaps you fancy a shorter day, no problem, you can make up for it the next day!
Working from home again, very self explanatory. Work from home, avoid the stress of the commute and enjoy the comfort of home!
Recently Virgin introduced unlimited holiday for their employees. The idea being, as long as work is done, you’re free to take holiday. However, the irony here is that company’s who have adopted this approach have actually seen employees take less holiday than previously allotted. So does unlimited holiday actually lead to less time off and therefore less relaxation? Food for thought…
Perhaps you agree, disagree or you're indifferent, let me know! Perhaps you have flexible hours or holiday and want to share what that’s like, get in touch! I’d love to hear your thoughts about what works best for you!
Thanks for reading!
Mason
