Shoosmiths supports Mental Health Awareness Week

13-19 May 2019 marked Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW). Promoted by the Mental Health Foundation, MHAW takes place annually to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing.

At Shoosmiths we have a fantastic network of mental health and wellbeing champions (Champions) who are responsible for promoting positive mental health and wellbeing, raising awareness of mental health activities and signposting colleagues to information on mental health and support resources available. The Champions put in a huge amount of time and effort to mark MHAW at Shoosmiths, including:

• Encouraging everyone in the office to wear green to show their support for the Mental Health Foundation;
• Arranging for local mental health charities to visit the offices and host presentations on mental health;
• Showing TED talks on body image to generate discussion and to help colleagues engage with their self-esteem (the theme for this year’s MHAW was body image);
• Organising yoga classes and running clubs;
• Arranging meditation and mindfulness sessions;
• Hosting mental health myth busting quizzes; and
• Sharing their personal stories and experiences of mental health

Amy Leech, Milton Keynes office Champion, also wrote a piece for the careers blog on mental health in the workplace. Amy’s piece was also published on Lawcareers.net.

Shoosmiths is committed to creating a working environment that is supportive and understanding towards colleagues experiencing mental health issues. Our network of Champions was launched in October 2018 and there now are over 30 champions located across our 11 offices.