Creating mental health inclusivity in the workplace

It is no secret that the pandemic took a serious toll on our mental health, with 1 in 5 adults in the UK experiencing some form of depression this year. However, even prior to Covid-19, work-related stress, depression or anxiety already affected 1 in 6 people in any given week and accounted for 54% of working days lost.  In response, many companies have launched mental-health first-aider schemes (over 20,000 businesses in the UK) and coaching programmes for employees.

While these initiatives are much necessary, they rarely receive high engagement, as they appeal to only a percentage of the workforce, i.e. those who have both recognised the need for support and also who believe that talking with someone will actually help.  As you can imagine, this percentage of people is extremely low, in fact, research shows that 87% of employees don’t feel comfortable discussing a mental health illness at work.

To truly foster mental health inclusivity in the workplace, our handpicked portfolio of experiences is designed to support individuals whether they want to talk, be still, listen or use mindful movement to cope with their mental health. Importantly, employees don’t have to commit to one or the other, but can try out and experience whatever feels best on a particular day.

Some of our most popular mental-health experiences include:

Breathe Magazine: A mindfulness magazine focused on getting the reader to take some time out of their day, and read through the sections of wellbeing, living, mindfulness, creativity and escape. There are activities, beautiful illustrations and even healthy and wholesome recipes to try.

Clementine: Built by women for women with busy lives, Clementine is an app that uses short hypnotherapy sessions to help reduce anxiety, boost confidence and improve sleep.

InsideOut: An on-demand health platform that focuses on traditional sessions with qualified and expert therapists. Each Heka member has access to affordable sessions, as well as a free 30-minute introductory call.

London Stress Centre: Michael Adu is a stress reduction therapist and life coach who works with members in helping to build effective stress coping techniques, which in turn will improve sleep and quality of life.

Aura: A sleep and emotional health app, which includes thousands of meditations, life coaching, nature sounds and stories, all of which aim to get members feeling more mindful and relaxed.

Healing Clouds: An award-winning, online therapy platform, with accredited therapists and therapy tools to help people improve their mental health and wellbeing.

Mindberry: An online platform of life coaches and consultants who can help members work towards their life and career goals, and help in relationship coaching.

Tai Chi: Through this traditional Chinese exercise, you can learn great techniques in mindfulness through slow, graceful movements and breathing exercises.

Meditation: Unwind with Levitate, who offer traditional meditation and breathwork sessions, or opt for a Gong Bath Meditation, a relaxing and alternative way to unwind and feel revitalized through sound.

If you want to create mental health inclusivity at the workplace, book a demo and explore how Heka can support your team.

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