The 5 to 9th October marked National Work Life Week, giving us an opportunity to reflect on the ways we can support our own mental health and wellbeing, as well as that of our colleagues.
As part of the week, we’re made personal pledges to prioritise our wellbeing. These were small, everyday commitments, such as taking a break from social media, getting outside for a walk each day, or simply making a little more time for ourselves. Alongside the activities we planned, we also looked back at how our approach to supporting health and wellbeing at gcp has evolved over recent years.
Where it started?
Back in 2020, gcp signed up to Thrive at Work, which marked the beginning of a more structured approach to mental health and wellbeing within the practice. From this, our Mental Health & Wellbeing Task Group was formed, providing a dedicated forum for ideas and initiatives to support our team.
One of the first major outcomes was the introduction of our Annual Employee Survey in 2021, giving everyone an opportunity to share their experiences and help shape where we could improve. We also introduced health insurance in 2021, specifically focused on mental health and wellbeing, as an additional support resource for the team.
Since then, our approach has continued to develop. Our annual employee appraisals now have wellbeing at the forefront of the conversation and in 2024, we introduced quarterly, short wellbeing check-ins with Directors. This creates regular opportunities to talk openly about how things are going and identify any areas where additional support might be needed.
Making wellbeing part of everyday life
2024 was a particularly busy year for wellbeing initiatives at gcp. We developed a dedicated Wellbeing Policy and introduced a quick, anonymous Monthly Wellbeing Survey. These surveys give us a regular snapshot of how colleagues are feeling and, importantly, help us identify whether there are any issues or themes that need to be addressed.
We also made Mental Health & Wellbeing a permanent item on the Employee Council agenda, creating a space where feedback and potential actions could be discussed with the wider team.
Our physical working environment has evolved too. As our team grew, we outgrew our previous office and moved into a new space. Wellbeing was considered as part of its design, with comfortable breakout areas and quiet rooms providing places to step away from the desk, take a breather or work somewhere a little different. We also introduced free sanitary products in our new bathrooms, helping to make the workplace a more inclusive and supportive environment.
Looking ahead in 2026
In 2026, we’re continuing to build on what we’ve learnt and look at new ways to support our colleagues. Earlier in the year we created a visual Welcome Guide for work experience students and new colleagues, which details access, workspaces and accommodations in a bid to ease any first day worries.
This month, two members of the gcp team are undertaking Mental Health First Aid training, giving us additional skills and resources within the practice to help support colleagues when they need it.
We’ve also refreshed our wellbeing surveys to gather even more useful feedback about how people are feeling and the factors that may be affecting their experience at work.
October also saw the launch of something a little lighter: our Good News Newsletter. Designed to help brighten up those tricky Monday mornings, it’s a chance to celebrate the good things happening across gcp and elsewhere and provide a positive counterbalance to whatever else might be going on, both inside and outside of work.
