Thrive
Everyone has mental health. Whether it be in the workplace or your personal life, it is important to know how to support your own wellbeing and others around you.
At Slaughter and May we aim to support employees’ wellbeing within a healthy environment. Our mental and physical wellbeing are equally important and the firm offers a wide range of benefits for employees to take advantage of.
Thrive, our mental health and wellbeing network, addresses a range of issues, from suicide awareness to managing stress.
Thrive aims to:
- Destigmatise mental illness;
- Raise awareness about, and create a culture of openness around mental health issues;
- Promote all round wellbeing, both in the workplace, and in our personal lives;
- Encourage open conversations and listening; and
- Develop a robust system of support and resources for employees who are experiencing mental health or wellbeing issues, or who simply wish to learn more about how they can support themselves and others around them.
The Thrive Committee is made up of a broad spectrum of Partners and employees from across the firm and is chaired by Rebecca Hickman and Sophie Hargrave.
For further information or any queries please contact us.
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
We traditionally dedicate a full month to raising awareness, showcasing resources available to our people, and encouraging everyone to lend their voice to breaking down the stigma of mental ill-health. This aligns with Mental Health Awareness Week which happens each year in the UK in May.
This month is a notable date in our calendar, because the health and wellbeing of everyone in the firm is of paramount importance.
Thrive was first created in 2018 and we're very proud of how far the Network has come. May 2023 marked a moment of reflection for the Thrive committee, and we'd like to thank our committee members for their continuous hard work over the last five years. We look forward to continuing this progress and work in the years ahead. Co-Chairs of Thrive
Podcasts, events and initiatives
Each year for Mental Health Awareness Month, Thrive puts together a programme to help support staff and encourage a dialogue around mental health and wellbeing. This is in addition to hosting a variety of social and educational events throughout the year. A small sample of past events and initiatives includes:
Celebrity and Capital FM radio presenter Roman Kemp joined us to give a fascinating internal talk and spoke to Michael Craig for a frank and open conversation about mental health and suicide. We heard from Roman about why he has become an advocate for mental health and together Michael and Roman discussed topics such as masking and their own personal experiences of suicidal thoughts.
As part of Slaughter and May’s firm wide access to mental health and wellbeing platform Unmind, all staff had the opportunity to participate in a webinar with Love Island contestant and Youth Mental Health Ambassador, Dr. Alex George. Dr. Alex discussed his experience as an NHS doctor during the pandemic, what he envisions for the future of mental healthcare and how we can each play our part in prioritising mental health.
Nathan Filer joined us for a conversation with Sally Wokes, a supporting partner of the Thrive network. Nathan discussed his non-fiction title, This Book Will Change Your Mind About Mental Health.
Nathan discussed themes of his book including debunking myths, challenges assumptions and offers fresh insight into what it means to be mentally ill. And what it means to be human.
Anna Williamson joined partner, Phil Linnard and Thrive committee member, Kelly Roberts to have an open discussion about parenting in the modern world. The dynamic conversation covered: trends in parental mental health (including the challenges and opportunities of hybrid working), balancing parenting with your career, post-natal depression and how to spot it and stigma for fathers/birth partners.
To mark Black History Month in the UK and World Mental Health Day, critically acclaimed actor David Harewood joined us to talk about his mental health and discussed topics and themes from his BBC2 series Psychosis and Me and his book Maybe I Don't Belong Here.
Each year the firm supports the Green Ribbon Campaign, which aims to help end the stigma around mental health. All staff are invited to wear a green ribbon and add a green ribbon to their email signature, to show support for the campaign.
Members of the firm’s private healthcare insurance with Bupa have access to Bupa webinars, including a dedicated CBT session explaining how CBT can be used to help manage and improve mental health.
Thrive has its own internal podcast series, hosted by the Thrive committee. In each episode, the committee talk with guests from across the firm, about a topic related to mental health and wellbeing. Past topics have included work-life balance, how nature can promote wellbeing and imposter syndrome.