MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK: WHAT MEDIA COMPANIES ARE DOING
As part of Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK, Jack Benjamin has written in The Media Leader on what media agencies are doing this year, and included Mediahub UK within the write up.
*Originally posted in The Media Leader.
According to recent NABS data, calls to the wellbeing charity relating to mental health increased 15% year-over-year in Q1 2022, leading to a 50% year-over-year increase in therapy referrals made by NABS.
As The Media Leader editor Omar Oakes writes in his latest column, it is no surprise that workers in the media industry, which is itself going through a tumultuous period, are suffering from frustrations, burnout, and grief in a changing, post-pandemic world.
In recognition of the week, The Media Leader contacted several leading media companies to understand what policies are in place to support their employees’ mental health, especially during a week that is meant to shine a light on the struggles everyone at some point in their lives is likely to have experienced.
Common threads are meditation and mindfulness sessions, educational lessons and resources, and ensuring that mental health first aiders are trained and available for anyone who may be struggling in the office.
In the UK, Mediahub provides a variety of support initiatives for mental wellbeing, including annual charity ventures, monthly half-days for mental health, access to a free Headspace membership for therapy via health insurance, 14 trained mental health first aiders, physical health supports such as agency football, running, and netball clubs and discounted gym memberships, and monthly “pulse” surveys to check in on people’s mental and physical health regularly.
In the US, since last year Mediahub has offered free confidential wellness check-ins with professional counsellors. It also offers monthly webinars around stress reduction to employees and their families, significant annual discounts on subscriptions to mindfulness/meditation apps such as Headspace, and resources and trainings for managers to help them handle conversations around mental health.
