Supporting mental health awareness every day

Originally posted on Thursday October 10, 2024.

At Dayshape, Mental Health Awareness Day is more than just a date on the calendar—it’s a reminder of our ongoing commitment to the wellbeing of our team.

It’s a great day to stop and reflect, but we believe that mental health support should be part of the fabric of the culture. So as we recognize Mental Health Awareness Day, we’re proud to share the initiatives that we work on every day to make Dayshape a place where mental health support is not just a conversation but our peoples’ lived reality.

A caring and supportive culture

We believe when individuals feel supported, they can be their authentic selves at work, which fosters trust, creativity, and productivity. Mental health is integral to this, and we’ve worked hard to create a space where people feel safe to express their feelings and/or seek help.

Our mental health initiatives have grown significantly over the years. Today, over 10% of our workforce are now trained as Mental Health First Aiders across various departments – they are ready to listen without judgment and guide colleagues for more help when needed. No-one at Dayshape has to struggle in silence.

Lucy, one of our Mental Health First Aiders, had this to say about her recent training:

"Dayshape’s mental health first aid training is an incredible way in which the company lives out its wellbeing value. I’m proud to be one of 13 trained mental health first aiders, offering my colleagues a safe space to talk in the office or remotely."

Taking action: mental health initiatives

Supporting mental health requires more than good intentions—it takes concrete actions. We’ve implemented a number of initiatives designed to provide meaningful and accessible mental health resources for all employees, including:

• Private healthcare: Both of our healthcare providers supporting teams in the US and UK include mental health support, ensuring that employees can access professional care when necessary.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Available to all UK employees, our EAP provides confidential counseling and support services for both personal and work-related issues.
• Direct counselor relationship: For UK employees, we’ve also partnered with a professional counselor to provide easy access to personalized mental health care.
• Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) board also plays a key role in fostering open conversations about mental health. Through regular events like the “DEI-alogue” on mental health, employees engage in candid discussions about their experiences to help break down stigma and show support for our colleagues.

What the employee experience tells us about wellbeing at Dayshape

Listening to our people is one of the best ways to measure the success of our mental health efforts – as well as their overall engagement levels of course. Our regular surveys consistently show that Dayshapers feel that leaders care about their wellbeing. People say they feel encouraged to use their holiday time to rest and recharge and that they appreciate the various mental health resources available.

Knowing that our team feels supported in both their professional and personal lives is an important metric for the company. We want every Dayshaper to feel confident that their emotional wellbeing is valued as much as their work.

As we grow, our commitment to mental health will only strengthen. Supporting mental health is central to being not just a good employer, but also us all in being good humans. We’re proud to continue to develop our workplace as somewhere that everyone feels safe, supported, and heard—not just on Mental Health Awareness Day, but every day.