World Mental Health Day: WeWork’s start-ups on promoting good mental health in the workplace

Promoting good mental health is important every day of the year - meet the start-ups who are doing just that 
WeWork's office in WaterHouse Square, Holborn
WeWork
Amelia Heathman10 October 2018

A predicted 91 million days a year are lost due to poor mental health, according to ACAS. That’s a lot of time, particularly when you’re running a start-up, where staff are few and time is money.

Dealing with mental health problems as a start-up can be tricky, especially if such companies don't have health insurance or a robust HR process to deal with sick days.

Despite the hurdles, it’s still important for small companies to promote positive work environments for their staff, and be particularly on the ball when it comes to mental health.

This is something the global shared workspace provider, WeWork, is particularly passionate about.

How so? Find out below.

Gympass

The link between positive mental health and exercise is well-known and something Gympass is especially keen to promote. Made up of a network of different sports, fitness and wellness facilities, Gympass allows its members to work out anywhere, holds all-team fitness activities, weekly classes at Gympass gyms, a summer sports day and healthy wellness breakfasts

Not only that, but Gympass employees are able to take advantage of flexi-hours and also have a work-from-home allowance.

As a Gympass spokesperson said: “We’re just starting out and our first step is to get 'mental health first aiders' trained to help their co-workers.

"We’re also starting team wellness 'commitments' to set an intention from the quarter, such as 'I will make use of flexi-time to go to yoga three times a week', or 'I will break away from my desk for lunch every day', so team members can help support each other and stay healthy in a busy city life.”

The Gympass team hold regular team workouts and events so everyone feels included and welcome
Gympass

Mous

You might have heard about smartphone case company Mous from the incredible stunt videos they carry out whenever a new iPhone comes out. But it's not just stunts that set them apart; ensuring their staff feel welcome and valued is really important to the start-up as well.

'As a young start-up that’s grown in numbers very rapidly recently, we really want to make all our new arrivals feel included in the company’s culture. We’re a company full of very young and very ambitious people. We don’t compete on salary: what we compete on is company culture, organisational dynamism, and the chance to make a real difference,” said co-founder James Griffith.

He says that being a part of WeWork has helped foster a great community amongst Mous’s staff, namely through the WeWork Summer Camp. It also helps that the company's co-founders remember what their first jobs in large corporations were like, and have used these experiences to offer something different at Mous.

“Most of us still remember our first grad jobs in large companies, and none of us want to return to them. My friends still working in similar companies are definitely jealous,” added Griffth.

Hatch Analytics

Promoting good mental health is integral to Hatch Analytics, the start-up helping other companies develop their workplace culture. Its founder, Monica Parker, is a leading organisational behaviour expert, and her knowledge informs Hatch’s approach to its staff.

One tactic employed is to ensure the Hatch team feels always included and valued.

“When Brexit hit and our business had a wobble, we opened our books and showed everyone exactly how much operating funds we had and gave them the option to find new roles if that knowledge was too scary. They stayed through that wobble and told us that having the knowledge of where we stood was reassuring,” explains a Hatch spokesperson.

The company also has a work anytime, anywhere policy, and unlimited holiday, as a way of prompting trust amongst its employees.

“Our well-being initiatives focus far more on culture change than gimmicks. Mental health awareness days and the like are good starts, but the meaningful and impactful change happens when a culture shifts from command and control to one of trust, flexibility and psychological safety,” they added.

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