World Mental Health Day 2024 focuses on mental health at work

The World Health Organization’s campaign theme for 2024 is mental health at work. Of course, it is easier said than done and, like all aspects of our lives, there is no one size fits all.

As we navigate the complexities of daily life, it is crucial to equip ourselves with the tools and knowledge necessary to maintain a healthy mind and that applies in the workplace as much as anywhere else, if not more. We must also be willing to recognise that we all face mental health challenges and that we all exhibit our reaction to those challenges in different ways. We should never assume that someone who is smiling on the outside is not struggling on the inside. We all need to be open to helping all of our colleagues.

Mental health in the workplace

That is why, the starting point has to be that issues around mental health in the workplace should not be limited to being marked on 10 October each year. Businesses must create initiatives that operate across the business and focus on self-improvement and the wellbeing of all employees, with the bringing together of their people being at the centre of that wellbeing. It can never be a tick box exercise – our mental health, and that of all our colleagues, is much too important.

One way of achieving this is by creating business-wide and local opportunities for us all to stop, think and reflect on what is important to our health, alongside shared activities to enjoy with colleagues.

A common theme to empower people with strategies for self-care, resilience and growth is to help them to understand the power of physical activity for mental health. This is well articulated through Wellbeing Together, an initiative run by my firm Fieldfisher. Encouraging everybody to look after their wellbeing, it comprises three pillars of – movement, self and community –and raises awareness about why they are important.

Personally, running is my activity of choice for the release of stress and anxiety. As a result, I was delighted when I was reminded at a recent workplace seminar focused on mental health that ‘marginal gains add up’. And it is true. I know that, for me, finding some time in my week for a run, or even on the busiest days, a walk, makes such a difference to help me escape, refresh and relax. I also know that the more I do it, the more I want to do it, so it must be good.

It is not surprising, therefore, that for many of us in professional services, physical exercise is our release. We do not move enough during our workday, with statistics suggesting that, for many of us, we only leave our desks an average of three to four times per day. Movement and wellbeing are intricately connected and understanding their importance can significantly enhance our overall health. However, movement does not have to mean physical exercise; we can also find movement in stillness and meditation. So, for others, who do not relish the prospect of running, it is important to remember that not all exercise needs to involve going to the gym.

Mental health is, however, not one dimensional and it cannot necessarily be combatted just by physical activity. In our work environment, in particular, and in the post-Covid-19 era, when so many of us spend much more time working from home, maybe never leaving our home, businesses can make a difference by creating spaces in the office and encouraging mentoring and buddying relationships at work.

This can be done through team building exercises, or regular one-to-one meetings with a mentor. Having good firm practices that promote wellbeing will help firms avoid staff burnout and help normalise conversations around mental health at work. This is particularly important for more junior lawyers, as it creates safe spaces for them to communicate their feelings and any special arrangements they may need, without stigma.

Some takeaways

By creating these internal relationships, we enable each other to help each other and be there for each other. Some tips which I have been given to enhance mental health include:

• Tapping into reciprocity. By building relationships with the same people in the work environment, it enables us to be open up with each other about our struggles and, therefore, we give each other permission to safety offload.This can include opportunities to discuss working boundaries or any special arrangements that any of us may need from time to time or generally;
• Engaging in a ‘displacement activity’. We all know that when trying to solve a problem we often get stuck. In this case, a bit of displacement or a ‘distraction’ can help. Such activity can be the physical activity I mentioned above or a simple chore at home; and
• Diarise physical movement and hold yourself accountable even if that means making sure you leave the computer screen and make a coffee more regularly throughout the day.