We Brought Our ‘Whole Self’ into Work

Wednesday, 18 March, 2020

We brought our ‘whole self’ into work to support a new campaign aimed at creating a workplace culture that empowers everyone.

The small team at Commercial Occupational Health Services Ltd (COHS) encouraged colleagues to be themselves at work, as it’s good for mental wellbeing and it’s good for business.

COHS is supporting Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England’s, ‘My Whole Self Day’,
today (Wednesday, 18 March). The new campaign encourages individuals to bring their ‘whole self’ into work.

Sam Wells, Wellbeing Co-ordinator for COHS, said colleagues discussed the importance of being able to feel ‘me’ at work during a recent team meeting.

“We discussed the importance of how we should and how we do feel at work.

“It is important to remember that from my front door to the office floor, I am still ‘me’.

“Other contributions included feeling ‘able’ and ‘smiling’.”

She added: “It’s important that workplaces are supportive and inclusive if they are to perform to their very best.

“If we go to work feeling that we have to hold parts of ourselves back, this can lead to presenteeism, which in turn can lead to difficulties for both the individual employee, the wider team and employer.

“Teams that feel able to be open and honest with each other work better together and to do this they need a working environment that allows them to be authentic and show their whole self.

“We will certainly be checking on our colleagues over the coming weeks and we will be providing healthy tips on how to protect your mental health and wellbeing during the current Coronavirus pandemic.”

Note to Editors: Pictured is the COHS team. From left to right: Sam Wells, Emma Heywood, Karen Wood, Dr Nicola Dann, Paul Hinchliffe, and guide dog Jasper.