SelectScience: Why mental health is top of our agenda

The team at SelectScience has been putting the spotlight on mental health.

While the well-being of its employees has always been a top priority, the impact of the global COVID19 pandemic has prompted even greater focus within the company.

With staff now working remotely from homes in locations dotted around the globe, SelectScience has introduced a range of measures to ensure all team members feel supported, engaged and just as connected as ever, with regular webcam catch-ups every day, digital team-building exercises and game nights, and even a virtual pub.

To raise awareness of World Mental Health Day on October 10, SelectScience marketing specialist Tom Vine set about organizing a dedicated session for everyone across the business to come together, learn about and discuss mental well-being, as well as share ideas on how to stay healthy and happy.

Tom, who joined the team around a year ago, said: “In the current climate, it’s so important that we look after not just our own health, but also look out for those around us. Poor mental health can affect anyone. Individuals often experience poor mental well-being without visible symptoms – this is why it’s so important to open up the conversation and get people talking.”

As part of the event, the team collected donations for Bath Mind, which promotes mental health through the provision of information, activities, advice and support, and provides a lifeline to over 3,400 individuals located in Bath, UK – where the head office of SelectScience is located.

Mental health & COVID

• 65% of people with mental health problems believe that work-related stress contributed to their illness

• More than half of adults say their mental health has got worse throughout COVID-19 lockdown

• Most people with a mental health problem will wait over 12 months before telling their closest friends and family
  

Through this fundraising, SelectScience raised a total of £478 for the Bath-based charity.

SelectScience Editor-in-Chief and Publisher Kerry Parker said: “I’d like to thank Tom for his idea to put this great session together. It’s testament to the spirit at SelectScience that this idea came from within the team itself and really illustrates the culture of mutual care and kindness that we are fostering here.

“We were delighted to be able to raise this money for a cause that makes a real difference to people in Bath.”

Tom and fellow marketing colleagues Julian Winterscheidt and Nic Crosara later also took part in a separate fundraising event organized by Vertex Investment Group and Original Wild in aid of the same charity – which involved abseiling down a historic Georgian townhouse in the center of Bath.

For more information on mental health and COVID, visit Bath Mind here>>