Clarion chose annual Mental Health Awareness Week (10-16 May), which has grown to become one of the world's biggest awareness events, to underline and confirm its own far-reaching commitment to the wellbeing of its international workforce.

It's long-term wellbeing strategy has seen Clarion create a ‘Wellness Squad' of senior managers who are responsible for cascading initiatives through their respective teams. Following a company-wide, anonymous survey to identify the key issues impacting staff and map out an appropriate long-term plan Clarion has confirmed the appointment and training of Mental Health First Aiders who will be able to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health issues, signpost people to appropriate help and promote wellness best practices. 

All employees have full access to Clarion's Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) which provides access to emotional and practical assistance drawing on a network of fully qualified and experienced counsellors. The EAP provides a confidential 24/7 help line, a live website chat option and access to a free wellness app including mood trackers, life style, self -help programmes and mindfulness sessions all supported by a suite of motivational materials.

Jeannette Gilbert, Head of Marketing at Clarion Gaming and part of the Wellness Squad said: “We are supporting the well-being of the Clarion family with a number of practical initiatives. 'Managing your Wellbeing Mindfully' is a six-week programme that focuses on how to master your wellbeing and thrive while recognising that we are all going through an extreme period of change and uncertainty which can contribute to stress. 

“We have also created a Mental Health Awareness Channel and introduced live-streamed sessions to explore the role of therapy and what it can offer alongside interactive workshops to help leaders understand the indicators of stress, how to move through them and remain effective even in the most challenging of times.”

“Only recently acknowledging issues surrounding mental health was seen as a sign of weakness but our approach to wellbeing turns this outdated outlook on its' head. Our commitment is all about starting conversations about mental health and the things in our daily lives that can affect it. For example, we are discussing the impact of coming out of the pandemic, what we face transitioning back into office work, in returning to live events and travelling once again. 

“On occasions talking about how we feel and sharing our feelings may not be enough. In more severe cases we are able to call upon the services of an external Occupational Health professional to advise on an individual's health and make recommendations on what adjustments could be considered to ensure a safe and healthy working environment which is what every progressive employer wants.” 

Naomi Barton, Portfolio Director responsible for iGB Live! added: “This has been a tough year for many of our people who have faced huge personal and work life challenges. The pandemic has had an unprecedented effect on the workplace, and we felt we had a responsibility to really understand what we could do to help support our people, and put some actions in place that would focus on communication at the core of our workplace culture to help build social bonds that support staff wellbeing.”