EXCLUSIVE: Corporate wellness platform Gympass has pledged a commitment to normalising conversations around mental health in the workplace among its 37 employees by signing the InsideOut Charter.
The charter asks organisations to openly demonstrate leadership engagement in mental health, and prioritise tackling stigma around the subject by following key principles. These include: prioritising the mental health and wellbeing of employees; appointing a board-level sponsor for mental health; including mental health and wellbeing on board agendas a minimum of every six months; producing a dedicated annual report on employee mental health and wellbeing; introducing at least one mental health and wellbeing initiative each year, the impact of which will be shared in the organisation's annual report; working towards representation on the InsideOut Leaderboard, if not already represented; role modelling healthy behaviours in senior leadership teams.
The InsideOut Leaderboard comprises a yearly list celebrating senior leaders who are open about their own experiences around mental health.
The charter was signed by Gympass UK on 15 January 2020. This follows its previous pledges to both Time to Change, a campaign to end discrimination, and the Mental Health at Work Commitment, which provides employers with the support and resources to understand and help those struggling with mental health issues.
Pietro Carmignani, chief executive officer of UK, Ireland and Netherlands at Gympass, said: “It is extremely important to us that we cultivate an environment where we can all speak as openly about mental health as we do about physical health.
“We know that this is not only good for us as individuals but also good for business. We are committed to helping end mental health discrimination and know that the first step is to start close to home with our staff.
“Over time, we hope to see more businesses prioritising this as well, with a greater understanding visible across our corporate and fitness facility partners.”
Rob Stephenson, founder of InsideOut, added: “We know that at the heart of creating a mentally healthy workplace is the commitment from senior leaders. When this happens, we see the start of culture change to workplaces that are free of stigma in respect of mental ill-health and where everyone feels able and equipped to proactively manage their mental wellbeing. Ultimately, this helps create happier, more productive and higher-performing workplaces.”
