Entain Well-me Festival: Half-time Report
We’re halfway through our first ever Entain Well-me Festival but we’ve still got plenty to come. We’ve already had two jam-packed days of conversations, competitions and connecting with each other.
On Monday, we announced a partnership with the mental health charity, Mind, to signal our mental health at work commitment. This means that we, along with over 400 other companies, are publicly declaring that mental health at work is a priority. We also got to hear from Faye McGuiness, Head of Workplace Health at Mind , to find out exactly what that means for us. This commitment is defined by six standards:
- Standard One: Prioritise mental health at work by developing and delivering a systemic programme of activity.
- Standard Two: Proactively ensure work design and organisational culture drive positive mental health outcomes.
- Standard Three: Promote an open culture around mental health.
- Standard Four: Increase organisational confidence and capability.
- Standard Five: Provide mental health tools and support.
- Standard Six: Increase transparency and accountability through internal and external reporting.
We also kicked off a conversation on something that we’ve all experienced: stress. On Monday, Heather Bolton from Unmind taught us how to spot stress in ourselves and led us in a box breathing exercise. Stress symptoms can be physical, emotional or behavioural, including headaches, tiredness, feeling upset or frustrated, becoming avoidant or overeating.
Leon Taylor, former-Olympic diver, delved into the physical impact of stress, and showed us how we can use our bodies to beat it. One method for destressing, as demonstrated by Leon, is to inhale for a count of four seconds, hold that breath (maintaining relaxation) for a count of four seconds, and finally exhale for a count of six seconds.
We’ve all got mental health, just like we’ve all got physical health. At Entain, we’re working to create an environment that promotes positive wellbeing every day of the year – not just for a week – but this festival is our chance to learn about the tools, resources and support available as a Entain colleague.