As a business, why is mental health important?

Is it more important than getting the products to the clients on time, making the production line more efficient, filling the sales pipeline researching the latest technology or having the slickest and latest viral advertising and PR campaign?

We have all in our lifetimes experienced conflict. It’s a fact of life and in the workplace, it is inevitable. If I were to ask you what the positive effects of conflict were in the workplace, you may look at me like I had lost my mind. Surely positive conflict is a bit of an oxymoron?

I’ve worked with a lot of different teams over the years. Some good, some well, not so good. While you’re going through your daily routines, fire fighting, project work, the usual “work stuff”, it can be hard to figure out what it is that makes your team so effective, or not.

Many people will have gone through their entire working lives without coming across mediation in the workplace. Hopefully, that is something that will change with time – not because there is more conflict, but because organisations are more open to resolving disagreements and conflicts as they happen in a more productive and resolution-focussed way.

The past couple of years have been challenging, unsettling and have brought a lot of uncertainty into our lives. Our work routines have been disrupted, our freedom to roam has been curtailed and we’ve had to spend a whole lot of time indoors, sometimes alone or sometimes unable to get some alone time. This has increased stress levels which has increased the risk of people developing mental ill health.

The most important aspect of building great team culture and team relationships, is trust.

Developing a culture of trust takes time and open and honest conversations, carried out in a safe and constructive way. In particular, with so many people working remotely these days, trust plays a bigger role than ever.

At the end of last year we launched an end of year good news quiz. As well as answering multiple choice questions, we also added a tie breaker - If you could create a good news story for 2022, what would it be? Some of the responses were wonderful and are quoted below, along with the answers to the quiz.

Human Everything collaborated with The Haven Wolverhampton to present a webinar on noticing and managing domestic abuse and mental health issues in the workplace. Two very important and interlinked topics.

Our co-founder and Director had a go at a spot of sky diving. As you do…. raising money for KEMP Hospice, this blog tells his story of the day he jumped out of a plane.

Our technology usage is getting out of hand.. and it’s having an impact on our mental health and wellbeing. Time to so something about it? Human Everything are proud to partner with techtimeout to encourage individuals and organisations to become more mindful of their use of technology and take control of their lives again!

These days, we may well need to include in our meetings people who are not just physically in the office but will perhaps be dialling/Zooming/Teams-ing in as well. So how do you ensure that everyone is heard, they all get a chance to share ideas and everyone is an equal shareholder in these spaces?

So I was going to write a blog or an article but decided that as the camera was on I’d just talk… so enjoy this ramble about snowboarding, smashed in teeth and a negative mindset!

While we may talk about stress a lot, how much do we really understand about what’s going on inside our bodies when we are stressed? We can’t remove stress completely from our lives, and nor should we, but we can understand the factors surrounding it. This article will provide a little bit of knowledge, encourage you to do a little bit of self-reflection and then give you some actions to take away.

Working remotely and navigating new ways of working has a lot to do with defining boundaries. Our co-founder Lucy had a great chat with Moon Li of Lunar Coaching, all about positive and negative boundaries in the workplace. Hear their conversation and get three top takeaways for teams, protecting boundaries and working remotely.

As the UK starts easing its lockdown restrictions, we find ourselves in another period of change and uncertainty. Looking after the welfare of your employees during this time is incredibly important. In this blog we discuss how to support mental health as the COVID-19 restrictions loosen.

We hear from our friends White Flamingo Art in this blog and learn all about how using artwork in the workplace can really help to combat stress, anxiety and depression.

Co-founders Lucy and Colin discuss Human Everything in an attempt to make a video.

We challenge you to a happiness hour. Sounds terrible doesn’t it? We know if things aren’t planned they don’t happen - so whatever you do this week, make sure you prioritise some time to do something that makes you happy. It’s important.

Making connections is an inherently human thing to do. Our Art Club night was all about exactly that. Only on Zoom. which is strange. But work with what you have, right?

It’s the start of the year of the Ox in the Chinese Lunar calendar… so what will 2021 have in store for you?