Workplace Wellbeing
I was delighted to be asked to present at the CIPR Inside and CIPR South West group on Workplace Wellbeing on Wednesday 18th May. Unusually, I was asked to present as a trustee of iprovision and not in my usual day job as a comms pro. I’ve been a trustee since March 2019 and it was a great opportunity to showcase some of the great work iprovision does.
Also on the panel was Kareen Griffiths who talked about Mindfulness. In an engaging session she asked who’d ever used Mindfulness techniques and if not using now, why? Interestingly, a number of us said “time”. She talked a lot about the benefit of having a “beginner’s mindset”, something that is probably counter-culture to many comms pros, especially some of us hardened cynics. She also talked about the importance of having fun, particularly when looking at such a serious topic.
Abigial Hirshman was up next talking about her role as Programme Director for the Charlie Waller organisation. Abigail talked about the support they offer organisations and said, “Communication was at the heart of what they do”. She mentioned their focus on behaviours and getting people to think and feel; topics many of us comms people are familiar with. With communications being the “golden thread” for so much of what they do, letting people have the conversations about Mental Health is of the utmost importance.
I talked about how iprovision has evolved since the 1960s as a benevolent charity to an organisation that now also supports CIPR members with their mental health through a variety of online and practical resources such as the Mental health hotline. Having helped over 500 members and families since our inception it’s important that we can continue to provide the help our members and their families require. I’m delighted that the trustees have agreed to fund the Mental health hotline for another year.
Today made me think too. I feel privileged to help iprovision and support people in need; I also think we can all do more to provide practical support for people with mental health concerns. What strikes me is that we are all so different and what works for one person will not work for another. That’s why introducing some generic sheep dip programmes won’t work. There need to be options for individuals and any solutions need to be bespoke to them. So, with that thought, I’m going to do what works for me – take a tip from Monty Don and just enjoy being in the present, in my garden at the end of a very good day.
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Published by James