Freshwater joins the Mindful Business Charter

Cardiff-based communications consultancy is the first in Wales to join Mindful Business Charter.

As the nation marks Mental Health Awareness Week (13 – 19 May), the communications agency has pledged its commitment to the charter, which aims to identify and eradicate stress in the workplace.

The charter, which was launched by Barclays and law firms Pinsent Masons and Addleshaw Goddard in October 2018, encourages organisations around the world to join in a collective commitment to address avoidable stresses in working practices and promote healthier and more effective ways of working.

It provides organisations and individuals with the framework to work together across the business community to help create an open and respectful culture.

Commenting on the news, Sarah Whittle, director of HR and operations at Freshwater, said: “We’re proud to become the first communications agency in Wales to join the Mindful Business Charter – and one of only a handful of marketing agencies to sign up in the UK. As part of our purpose to ‘Make It Matter’, workplace wellbeing is fundamental so we can ensure all our staff can thrive.

“We recognise the significance of positive mental health and providing staff with a voice in the workplace. For example, we created our People, Standards and Inclusion Group, where representatives from across the agency help drive wellbeing, employee engagement and business initiatives.

“We are thrilled to be able to publicly reinforce our commitment to staff by aligning ourselves with the Mindful Business Charter.”

The commitment comes during Mental Health Awareness Week, which has brought together people in schools and further education; private, public and charity sectors; families and individuals since 2001, to build a society with good mental health.

Richard Martin, CEO of the Mindful Business Charter, added: “We are delighted to welcome Freshwater to our community of member organisations. MBC is about reducing the unnecessary stress in the ways we work so that we can work more healthily and more effectively.

“It is about tackling the causes of mental distress rather than simply providing support for those in need or putting the onus on individuals to be more resilient.

“Although our roots are in the legal profession, we know that the challenges faced there are common in many different professions and areas of business, and communications is no exception. A big part of MBC is about creating the permission and providing the language to communicate to others what we need, and don’t need, to do our best work, so we know we will have much to learn from Freshwater.”