The week of World Mental Health Day, which has just passed, was recognised on a massive scale in 2020. As societies across the globe continue to face uncertainty with the ongoing health and economic crises, a silver lining of COVID-19 is that we’re seeing mental health awareness and support rising at record speed.
At Make a Difference, it’s our mission to be the global learning space for professionals seeking to have a sustainable impact on workplace culture, mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing, as well as workplace design.
In order to ensure our community of employers has access to the richest and most up to date learning from across the globe, alongside our global digital events and our news channel, on the back of World Mental Health Day 2020 we’ve launched our new on demand MADflix video content library. Here you can get access to all the best practice learning from leaders participating in our 2020 Make A Difference events, including Workplace Wellbeing by Design which took place 14-18 September and MAD World Summit UK which took place 8 October.
And this of course also includes our inaugural Make a Difference Digital Summit US in association with Mind Share Partners which took place last Thursday 15 October. Heather Kelly shares key takeaways from the day which was packed with learning and insights from North America’s most pioneering leaders helping to progress the workplace mental health movement in the US and Canada.
Be sure not to miss our final digital event of the year, Make a Difference Summit Asia happening on 11 November. Get a sneak peak into what’s to come from one of the event’s key speakers, Zoe Fortune, Founding CEO of City Mental Health Alliance Hong Kong in this profile interview by Cheryl Liew, Event Director for MAD Summit Asia.
Claire Farrow shares about the new inspiring EMEA campaign, ‘In My Shoes’ launched by our global partner, Japanese sporting goods giant, ASICS. The campaign makes the link between sport, movement and wellbeing with a key focus on empathy. The ‘In My Shoes’ audio stories are designed to be listened to on the move, so people can literally experience what it’s like to put themselves in the shoes of the storyteller.
Being able to empathise with the experiences of your workforce is central to being able to effectively support staff wellbeing. PwC’s Leadership Development and Wellbeing Leader for the US and Mexico, DeAnne Aussem, shares tips on how to boost productivity and employee morale at the same time, one of which is listening to and understanding the needs of your workers.
And finally, in planning your mental health and wellbeing strategies to support productivity as we continue to face the COVID-19 crisis, Claire Farrow highlights a new study worth taking note of. The Rotterdam School of Management has found that working from home could be damaging for mentally demanding tasks of workers. Which means employers should adapt and respond to ensure staff working from home are given extra support going into 2021.
