Leaving no one to be lonely
This year, Mental Health Awareness Week was all about loneliness. This is a pertinent theme when we look back on the Covid-19 pandemic and its repercussions, which left many of us feeling isolated like never before. The Mental Health Foundation states that one in four adults feel lonely some or all of the time, and that there aren’t single causes or solutions to help. The longer loneliness is felt, the higher people are at risk of developing more mental health problems. And for some, feeling lonely doesn’t just mean being physically alone.
At Ecotone, the wellbeing of our staff is of the utmost importance. We strive to make sure all our employees are supported, fulfilled and happy. We have an internal initiative called ‘I’m In’ where we address unconscious bias and aim to offer a truly inclusive environment. A sense of belonging is critical in helping manage loneliness. It is something we take proactive steps to help with, whether it’s through the support networks and programmes we create, or approaches to ways of working and even our onboarding process. Ecotone is a certified Great Place To Work but so much more: a community of like-minded individuals who work through challenges and have fun together.
Our community
Central to our company values at Ecotone to care for our staff. This is why we encourage everyone to ask for help when needed, get the right exercise, and take regular breaks for those all-important ‘water cooler’ moments that make such a difference to general wellbeing. Internally, as a mental health tool kit, we have our Health Champions, Mental First Aiders, Flourish programme and support provided by mental health charity MIND and GroceryAid.
Our dedicated Mental First Aiders are a key point of contact for anyone struggling, and help point them in the right direction for additional support and encouragement. Ecotone’s Health Champions guide the management team with ideas such as hints/tips for improving wellness (mental, physical and financial), highlighting resources, and helping us connect people when running hybrid meetings.
Connected around ‘the water cooler’ and at home
Equally, our management team has a ‘doors always open’ policy. Our jobs involve listening, signposting, and nurturing the team. As managers ourselves, we too can feel vulnerable. Being empathetic and opening yourself up in these conversations can build that support so much more – and it is through this that we aim to prevent problems before they arise.
Our office has always been a place which functions as a social hub for networking and making connections. And then the pandemic hit and our office staff had to get used to working from home. We never thought we’d manage, but we did – and it was vital for our team to feel supported with a sense of community from afar. For most, the benefits of being in the office are feeling ‘in it together’. Others enjoy the reduced stress that working from home provides in terms of no commuting, the easier fit with home life or from having more time with those they live with.
No one is alone but no one is the same: a hybrid approach
To get the best of both worlds as we came out of the pandemic, we switched to hybrid working that gives increased flexibility for out-of-office activities. To help our return to the office, we recognised the importance of flexibility in ensuring a smooth transition and we asked for everyone’s thoughts on how best to do this, as well as asking about how we could recreate the social elements from the office on the days people choose to work from home.
As a result we’ve introduced a balance of working up to three days in the office and two working from home. It’s been easy to implement as we trust our team, and it’s given people autonomy while being supported at the same time.
During the pandemic we converted our Flourish programme from being face-to-face to being running virtually with access to webinars, virtual classrooms and other resources. This programme supports mental, physical, and financial help and provides useful resources such as a focus on mindfulness. Included in this are mindfulness and stressless programmes and new modules supporting new parents and men’s health. We’ve also shared information from MIND, which has wonderful tools and practical guidance as does the excellent support from GroceryAid.
We’ve all struggled with loneliness, #IveBeenThere myself but it’s important to remember that you’re never alone.
