World Mental Health Day takes place every year on the 10th of October which should be a big deal for all businesses and organisations as a reminder to look after their people. Nobody can deny the importance of mental health and we should make an effort to create a welcoming and comfortable work atmosphere throughout the whole year. It’s an important initiative for everyone to get involved and help to improve mental wellbeing at their workplace, this helps to foster a more engaging, productive and happier work culture.
This is an excellent opportunity for you and your business to contribute to the cause, and organise some fantastic workplace initiatives to support World Mental Health Day. Don’t forget to shout out about all the great things you’re doing to address mental health stigma so other companies can also learn from you. Here are some suggestions for workplace initiatives to support World Mental Health Day:
1. Social activities with colleagues
HR teams can plan an enjoyable office outing for team members. Usually when leadership invites their colleagues to an enjoyable team activity, it is appreciated and well-received by all employees. Anything from workplace quizzes to cultural gatherings can qualify. Last month, our team in our US office took part in one of our very own experiences, a ‘paint & sip’ day out. Here they are holding up their lovely canvases.
2. Wellness Secret Santa
This idea is actually taking place in our own business this year. The idea is that each team member who wants to to take part will purchase a wellness inspired gift within a £5 budget for someone else within the company in a secret santa style initiative. This is a very simple and easy activity that will bring a smile to everyone’s faces. Some wellness gifts can include relaxing candles, books, herbal teas, healthy snacks, bubble baths and more!
3. Reward a wellness experience
Taking time out and taking part in an experience that supports the mind, body and soul is ideal for everyone to help with their mental health. We’re huge advocates of helping people have a balanced lifestyle and champion wellness within the workplace. We recently created wellness collection vouchers that businesses can give to their colleagues as a reward or special incentive. Our two wellness collections are filled with a range of experiences that your teams can choose from, including traditional wellness adventures like spa days and getaways or unique takes on the definition of wellness, these collections are sure to bring a smile to anybody’s face.
| Experience Wellness Collection Choice of 79 experiences- £100 | Discover Wellness Collection Choice of 35 experiences- £50 |
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4. Organise a wellness & work life balance seminar
Mental health and work life balance go hand in hand to ensure your colleagues are always feeling good and stress free. National Work Life Week starts on the 10th of October (World Mental Health Day) and a fantastic idea to make the occasion memorable is by planning a seminar on work life balance. Invite a renowned mental health coach or psychologist and encourage the whole team to attend the session. If your teams are up for it, why not get them involved and perhaps they can share their personal ways of how they keep up with a balanced lifestyle and what mental health means to them, it’s always nice to hear stories and experiences from people around you at work.
5. Community Work
World Mental Health Day is an excellent opportunity to get involved in a charitable endeavour. This could be something different, that you don’t already do as part of your “social wellbeing” programmes. You can help with issues that impact the community, which will encourage employees to also have gratitude and get involved physically. Our UK team goes out into our local area of Bourne End every month to litter pick the streets and do our part for our local community. Our US team will also quite often do the same thing within a local green space in Denver. This type of activity has a great sentiment and people enjoy the feel good factor of doing something to give back.
6. Wellbeing Lunch
Hold a healthy wellness lunch in honour of World Mental Health Day that includes fresh fruit, salads, soups, yoghurts and other healthier snacks. During lunch you can encourage discussion about mental health. Starting a conversation can be an effective approach to combat the mental health stigma and encourage others to consider their views. We all recognise the value of maintaining both physical and mental wellness. Talking over a team lunch can help us all to speak openly regarding mental health issues and those who suffer from them, whilst removing any stigma around this topic.
7. Activities for the virtual workplace
For those businesses that continue to work from home and aren’t physically there with their colleagues, this is a fantastic chance to interact online and spread awareness of mental health among fellow employees and friends. At Virgin Incentives we offer some fantastic virtual experiences that can be enjoyed in small teams such as online escape rooms, virtual cocktail masterclasses and cookery classes – why not combine one of these experiences and use it to create a mental health awareness activity and encourage your remote workers to get involved in learning a new skill or taking some much needed time out of their usual day to day work routine.
There are so many workplaces initiatives to support World Mental Health Day, if you are interested in any of our wellbeing experiences to give your teams a well-needed boost, get in touch with us below:
