In September, our team got behind Mental Health Awareness Week. This was a great way for our team to connect and focus on a topic that holds so much importance for our people.
Over the course of the week, we learnt about the five ways of wellbeing: Give, Be Active, Keep Learning, Connect, and Take Notice. It was great tapping into the Mental Health Foundation resources and basing some activities during the week with these in mind.
The team had fun sharing photos that represent what wellbeing means to them, with many animals and children making an appearance. The team showed their competitive streak, with prizes on offer for the best photo(s). It was great seeing what the team do to ensure their ‘bucket is full’ outside of work.
Being active supports wellbeing, so a small running group was created, while others enjoyed a casual evening walk or strength work at the gym! The running group has continued, with a team entering a recent Corporate 5k Challenge.
Utilising our relationship with OCP (an Employee Assistance Programme), one of their specialists made a visit to our offices and spoke on the topics of Change, Stress, and Self Care. Our team valued having the time and space to reflect on themselves and put in place some new skills. There were so many great tips, with the main themes being to make the time to care and that small changes make a big impact!
Community and giving back were an important part of the week. We held a loud shirt day, with the team wearing bright coloured shirts and donating money to the ‘I Am Hope’ charity, which supports our vulnerable youth. Some of the Ashburton team spent a morning volunteering their time for Kai for Kids, a charity who makes 700+ meals each day for students around the Ashburton region.
It was a fantastic week, and we look forward to continuing to focus on mental wellbeing to ensure our resilience batteries remain closer to full.
