Thrive
Everyone has mental health, and our mental and physical wellbeing are of equal importance. 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.
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; and
- Encourage open conversations and listening.
The Thrive Committee is made up of a broad spectrum of Partners and employees from across the firm and is chaired by Rebecca Hickman, Associate and Sophie Hargrave, Digital Data Executive.
For further information or any queries, please contact us.
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
We 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 formed in 2018 and we're very proud of how far the Network has come. We'd like to thank our committee members for their continuous hard work, and look forward to collaborating and continuing this work together in the years ahead. Rebecca Hickman and Sophie Hargrave Thrive co-chairs
Podcasts, events, and initiatives
Every year, the Thrive committee has key focuses regarding mental health and wellbeing and puts together a programme to help support staff and encourage a dialogue around these focuses.
This is in addition to hosting a variety of educational and social events throughout the year. A sample of past events and initiatives includes:
Thrive supporting partner, Richard Swallow chaired a panel discussion with Presenter and Broadcaster, Roman Kemp and Jane Boland, Clinical Lead at men’s suicide prevention charity, James’ Place.
This was an insightful and informative talk about mental health and suicide. We heard from them both on how we can all take care of our own mental health and support friends, family members and colleagues.
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 network committee and episodes are released throughout the year. In each episode, the committee talk with internal and/or external guests, about a topic related to mental health and wellbeing. Past topics have included imposter syndrome, eating disorders, anxiety and work-life balance.