Wellness Warriors at Work

Today we are joined by Leanne Schofield, People Lead at Form3, an award-winning payment technology provider for financially regulated institutions. Form3 was recently nominated by Tempo as one of the top startups to work for in the UK and in this episode, Leanne reveals their unique approach to company values and workforce diversity, as well as the company's active role in encouraging employees to take care of their holistic health.

Are you part of the Wellness Warriors at Work community yet?

Today's guest is Jana Dowling, founder of Arkeo, an app launching this October that empowers individuals and organisations to take control of their mental fitness.  Arkeo is one of those innovations which truly has the power to transform how we live our lives. People usually feel quite helpless when it comes to taking care of their mental health, however, what if we could actually start tracking it, working on it, improving it? Wouldn’t that make everyone feel a little more, in control?

In this episode, Jana shares how individuals and companies can benefit from tracking mental fitness. We discuss existing challenges in the mental health area, and why a different approach is necessary. We also deep-dive into future trends in this space: will mental health support become an expectation in the workplace? Where can you draw the line between what is the employees’ and what is the employers’ responsibility? All of that and more in the following conversation.

Are you part of the Wellness Warriors at Work community yet?

We had a chat with Simon Masters, Director of People and Talent at SPG, a market-leading fintech company, providing digital payment solutions across the legal, financial and professional services industries.

SPG, was ranked amongst the top startups to work for in the UK in 2021, and in this conversation, Simon shares the behind-the-scenes of how they’ve achieved such a great employee experience.

We discuss the culture at SPG and what makes it unique, as well as explore how leaders keep “in touch” with employees' sentiment and needs. Simon also explains how SPG empowers people to make a change and the process they follow to choose and adopt new benefits which truly make a difference to employees’ lives.

Are you part of the Wellness Warriors at Work community yet?

We recently had a chat with George Taktak, Founder and CEO of How Mental, the mental movement on a mission to support everyone in prioritising their mind. With a community of over 660 000 people on Instagram, the How Mental team knows a thing or two about how to create a culture of trust, inclusivity and care.

In this conversation, we discuss all things mental health. We look at what burnout actually is and how it is impacting employees in today’s working environment. We explore how George takes care of the mental wellbeing of the team, their company culture and ideas to encourage business leaders to open up about their mental health. Finally, we look at the challenges preventing people from accessing mental health support and potential solutions to overcome this.

Today our guest is Michelle Davies, VP of Operations at WeFarm, the world’s largest knowledge network and marketplace for small-scale farmers. WeFarm was ranked amongst the top startups to work for in the UK, and in this episode, Michelle shares some behind-the-scenes of how they’ve built such a great culture.

We discuss a controversial topic, work mode. Does the traditional office continue to be the best mode of work, or is it possible for companies like WeFarm, that are remote-first, to tap into even more advantages from working fully remotely?

We look into how WeFarm supports the mental and physical health of employees, as well as how they foster diversity and inclusion. The latter is pretty amazing at WeFarm, as Michelle reveals that their tech team only, has members living in 5 different countries and representing 10 different nationalities. Finally, we discuss trends and challenges that you can expect to see in the HR sector in the coming years; I’m confident that these will be invaluable for you to stay ahead of the curve.

This episode features Marnie Richards, Head of Employee Experience at EduMe, the Workforce Success platform used by modern companies to train, inform and engage their workforce. EduMe ranked amongst London’s top 50 start-ups to work for in 2021, and received accreditation by Flexa as a truly flexible place to work.

During the interview, we discuss EduMe's commitment to empowering employees to be their "best working selves", the benefits they offer to support people's mental and physical health, and how they facilitate self-development and learning.

Marnie also offers advice for companies managing the transition back to the office and shares her top tips for you to get leader buy-in for your employee wellbeing initiative.

Are you part of the Wellness Warriors at Work community yet?

We recently had a chat with Asha Singh, Chief People Officer at By Miles. By Miles was voted the UK's best car insurance provider & best insurance app at the 2020 Insurance Choice Awards. The company was also recognised as one of the top startups to work for in the UK and in this episode, Asha shares the behind-the-scenes of the culture fueling their incredible achievements.

We discuss the culture at ByMiles, how they support the holistic health of their employees and what makes their employee experience special. We also explore topics that are critical for modern leadership including active listening, emotional intelligence and hiring in a virtual world.

This episode is very special because Asha not only has over 10 years of experience in the People area, but she is also a neuroscientist, allowing her to provide unique insights when it comes to workplace leadership and culture.

Are you part of the Wellness Warriors at Work community yet?

Today we are joined by Thomas Forstner, People and Talent lead at Juro, a contract automation platform that empowers legal & business teams to work with contracts together in one unified workspace.

Juro was ranked by Tempo as one of the top startups to work for in the UK, and in this episode, we discuss the culture at Juro and what makes the employee experience special. Thomas also provides insights into employees’ main considerations when assessing new employers, and explains how organisations can immerse new hires into the company culture while simultaneously fostering diversity. Finally, we discuss practical ways to obtain and use employee feedback, and get a sneak peek into what Juro has been doing to support holistic health at their company.

Are you part of the Wellness Warriors at Work community yet? 

We had a chat with Tara Mansfield, People Experience Director at Monzo Bank. Monzo was ranked Best banking app in the British Bank Awards and has also been recognised numerous times for being one of the top places to work in the UK.

We discuss the employee experience at Monzo and how it is designed to enable employees to live out the company’s values. We also look into practical initiatives to support mental health and make people feel they belong. Additionally, Tara shares invaluable advice to get senior approval on your next pitch for a wellness initiative.

Are you part of the Wellness Warriors at Work community yet? 

Today we are joined by Kimberley Davies, Employee Experience Manager at Rise at Seven, a specialist creative SEO agency based in Sheffield and London. The agency has a strong, internal culture of enthusiastic Risers, and Kimberley shares all about how they’ve created this environment.  We discuss how Rise at Seven supports and nurtures employee passion and creativity, as well as the ways in which their employee experience attracts the right talent and gives people the tools to perform at their best. These initiatives include unlimited holidays, autonomy on the job and "power-hours" of uninterrupted work.  This interview is short and sweet, and we're sure you’ll enjoy it as much as we did.  

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Today we are joined by Andrew Bardsley, People and Culture Manager at Modulr and certified mental health first-aider. Modulr was ranked by LinkedIn as one of the best startups to work for in the UK and Andrew is here to share what it takes to gain this recognition.

We discuss:

1. The culture at Modulr and what makes it one of the best places to work at.
   
2. Advice for leaders to identify when someone in their team is struggling mentally and strategies to approach this issue.
   
3. Effective ways to inspire employees and support their holistic wellbeing.
   
4. Challenges for Modulr during the past year and how they've overcome them.
   
5. Advice for leaders who want to create a wellness-focused culture.
   

Today we are joined by Donna-Marie Hassett, People Manager at Streetbees, a global intelligence platform that reveals how people behave, and why, by analysing real-life moments collected from users worldwide.

We discuss:

1. The ways in which Streetbees is supporting employee health and wellness, as well as their new initiatives for 2021.

2.  How companies can help to prevent burnout amongst their employees and Streetbees' approach to this challenge.

3. The main obstacle preventing mental health from being openly discussed at the workplace and how leaders can help overcome this.

4. How companies can create an environment where colleagues are mutually supportive and look out for each other’s wellness.

5. The main challenges facing Streetbees and other fast-growing startups when it comes to the employee experience and workplace culture and strategies that can be used to address these.

Today we are joined by Emily Wood, Chief of Staff at Talis Capital.

Talis Capital is a unique venture capital investment firm focused on emerging technologies including regtech, digital health,  edtech and sustainability.

We discuss initiatives they have you put into place to support employee mental and physical health, how they are overcoming challenges such as guilt surrounding workplace productivity, and also opening up space for dialogue amongst employees. 

We also look at how the motivations of the workforce have changed and how Talis Capital is addressing evolving needs. Finally, drawing from her experience as Chief of Staff, but also from her certification as a nutritionist, Emily gives us practical advice to stay happy and healthy during this time.

Today we are joined by Jenny Mowat, the managing director at Babel PR, a London-based public relations and communications agency.  Babel PR was recently named the best agency in the European Agency Awards and today, Jenny shares insights into what they're doing, and how they are doing it.

We discuss:

• The various initiatives and elements that make up the culture at Babel.
  
• The drivers behind Babel's paid sabbatical for employees and the impact of this initiative on employee engagement.
  
• Different ways of supporting employees’ physical and mental health and how Babel's approach to holistic health has changed since the pandemic
  
• The challenges for 2021 in relation to employee experience and how Babel will approach these.
  
• Their collaborative process for choosing employee benefits and launching new health initiatives.
  
• Key initiatives to minimize virtual event fatigue.
  

Healing Clouds is a global platform for accessible and affordable online mental wellbeing services. Asim Amin the CEO and Ashley Lourens, the Head of Wellbeing of this platform, share their insights and experiences addressing mental health at both an individual and organisational level.

We discuss:

• What mental health really is and why it is important.
• The most common obstacle preventing people from taking care of their mental health.
• the biggest impact of C19 on the mental health of employees and how leaders in the workplace can address this moving forward.
• Advice for people wanting to increase awareness and support for mental health at their organization.

Emma Attenborough- Sergeant is a creative copywriter with a focus on supporting employers and entrepreneurs to improve culture with relatable mental health and wellness content.

We discuss:

• The role leaders should play in the physical, mental, and emotional wellness of their employees at this time.
• The importance and impact of discussing and communicating wellness topics at the workplace.
• How wellness and mental health at the workplace have shifted as a consequence of C19.
• The #1 obstacle for leaders in terms of fully committing and communicating the importance of wellbeing in their companies.
• Advice for self-care and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Gloria Battini is a London-based life coach who helps determined women and leaders get rid of stress and anxiety and initiate a journey of self-mastery.

We discuss:

• The impact of C19 on the mental health of female leaders.
• The biggest obstacles preventing people from committing to a healthy lifestyle.
• Practical advice to reduce stress and anxiety for leaders who are experiencing an unprecedented amount of pressure at this time.
• The importance of leaders being mentally and physically healthy to support and encourage their teams to do the same.
• Tips for you to take care of your own wellness and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
  

We know that at these times, it can get tricky to find the right strategies to motivate your team and create a positive working culture. But if you’ve been looking for inspiration, then you’re in for a treat today. Our guest is Seb Randle, the Development Coach at Social Chain, a global social media agency. We discuss:

• How Social Chain is using coaching to support employee mental health and how this has been adapted since Covid to fit people's current needs.
  
• People and culture initiatives at Social Chain to keep employees feeling happy and fulfilled.
  
• The key challenges to supporting mental health in our current reality.
  
• Practical advice to take better care of your mental health.

Faye McGuiness, Head of Workplace Wellbeing Programmes at Mind, talks to us about the impact C19 has had on the mental health of employees and how leaders can address this moving forward.

With 300,000 people losing their jobs every year because of poor mental health, it's never been more important for leaders to take action.

We discuss:

• How employers can increase employee engagement and involvement with wellness initiatives.
• What leaders can do to support employees’ mental health from a prevention perspective.
• Advice for getting senior buy-in and creating the right conditions for culture change.
• The biggest impact of C19 on the mental health of employees and how leaders can address this moving forward.
• Advice for anyone wanting to implement a new wellness initiative at their company.

Angie Vaux, CEO of Women in Tech Forum tells us about her personal wellness practices, as well as the practical initiatives she has implemented in her company to support good mental health and work-life balance.

We discuss:

• Angie's personal wellness practices and recommendations for other leaders and wellness warriors.
• The role leaders should play in the wellness of their employees. Particularly at time when many firms have opted for a fully remote or hybrid working policy.
• How "wellness at the workplace" has shifted since the pandemic.
• Practical wellness initiatives to support your team.