Professional services network KPMG UK talks openly about various issues such as eating disorders in order to tackle any potential stigma while considering the impact on its employees.
The firm’s key priority is always the health and wellbeing of its 16,000 UK employees, with its mental health and wellbeing policy spanning mental health, preventative health, financial wellbeing and working families.
It has 15 employee networks, as well as various clubs and societies, that provide an inclusive environment so everyone can feel empowered and supported. One of these is its BeMindful Network, which more than 1,000 partners and staff members are a part of and focuses specifically on mental health and wellbeing. Its mantra is to strive for a healthier, happier and more human KPMG.
The firm also hosts a programme of events aligned to its quarterly themes, which run in parallel with the national mental health calendar, explains Laura Verlander, enterprise wide technology senior manager and BeMindful Network co-chair at KPMG UK.
“Our network has grown substantially in recent years and we’ve also broadened the scope of activities and topics we address, and this includes a focus on eating disorders,” she says. “Our In-conversation events, featuring employees’ lived experiences, are one of the most compelling ways to tackle stigma and ensure our people are able to come as they are, and are testament to the level of engagement we see in this topic.”
KPMG’s BeMindful Network marked this year’s Eating Disorder Awareness Week from 27 February to 5 March, by running an in-conversation session. Three employees shared their personal experiences of disordered eating, covering topics such as eating disorders in pregnancy and binge-eating disorder. The session was inspired by the success of an eating disorders series run by its functional central wellbeing team called This is Me, with guest speakers from eating disorder charity Beat.
Alongside the broader support the firm offers to all staff, which includes access to its 24/7 BeWell employee assistance programme, KPMG has a wellbeing portal that signposts, and provides access, to various related resources.
“This includes a space dedicated to eating disorders, recognising the impact it has on staff and those who have a loved one with an eating disorder," says Verlander. "This provides information on symptoms and connects our people to the support available both internally and externally. Our core message to everybody at the firm is that you are never alone.”
