Last week was mental health awareness week, where we all rightly took the time to make our own and others’ mental health a priority.  In the fast-paced world which we live we often don’t have time to stop and listen, so we avoid the pertinent questions. We are under pressure more than ever to achieve, do and succeed, but what if we are struggling? Here at Interlink Recruitment we take mental health seriously and over the course of last week, we looked at what we do as a business and as individuals to help each other to keep our minds healthy.

Recruitment is stressful

Most jobs these days bring challenges – whether it’s the job itself or managing work with what’s going on at home. Working within the legal profession, we are aware of the stress and pressure lawyers face and how this impacts their mental health. Fortunately, this is being widely acknowledged and the industry has a helpline and support network for lawyers feeling any kind of burden, alongside firms doing more for their teams’ mental wellbeing. Recruitment is also a very challenging environment to work in – no two days are the same, not all discussions and negotiations go the way you want and there are targets to hit. Part of making it work for us as a team, to instil confidence and ensure support for all staff, is to get the culture right within the business. Yes, we are a small business but having supportive team players working together creates a far healthier environment for our staff. 

Beth welcomes new team members  

On Monday of Mental Health Awareness week, three new team members joined.  Our Head of Office Support, Beth Johnson explains more about their first day with us, “To welcome our three new starters, we decided to take hold of the sunny weather and celebrate their new beginnings with Interlink Recruitment with lunch at The Alchemist. We feel it’s important to relax new starters as best we can, to introduce them to the team and give them an understanding of the type of company we are in a more social setting. We toasted their first day with a glass of wine, had a meal and a cheeky cocktail, by which time we all knew plenty more about each other. As well as giving everyone a slice of happiness on the notorious dreaded Monday, the lunchtime treat was important for our new team members to ask those all-important questions. That and to know from this point on, how they can be assured of being supported within their roles ahead, and who they can talk to should they have any issues whatsoever.”

Danny is body positive

Another new face at the business is Danny Harris, who in his spare time is passionate about working out and eating well, all done to bring him extra confidence. Here’s his personal account of his experiences, "I first started training at College. It massively improved my confidence and enabled me to do things which were previously out of my comfort zone, whether that’s from approaching new people on a night out or simply chatting with strangers at a bus stop!  I strongly believe a healthy body allows for a healthy mind.  Training not only develops self-respect, but it allows you to be disciplined with everything you encounter. My gained confidence helped develop my social and interpersonal relationship building skills, self-worth and most importantly self-respect. With this mindset I’m also no longer disheartened if I fail at a task, being able to take stock and move on more confidently.”

Recognising support where it’s needed

To end the week, our Commercial Director Daniel Rosenthal, whose door is always open, reflected on the responsibility business owners have when it comes to creating a positive, safe working environment to encourage healthy minds. “Of course, it’s in the best interests of anyone running a business to make sure their staff are happy and healthy at work. And often you’ll find employees will do one of two things; come to work and share their problems or come to work and hide them. What we need to do is create a safe place for all to talk about anything that’s troubling them, at any time. We employ a cross-section of staff of varying ages here at Interlink and those younger may often look for advice and support from their peers. But as a business we try our best to support our employees with issues that may stem from work or even home. For example, we once arranged for professional financial support to spend a day at the office, to help anyone who had financial concerns or needed help planning for their future. If the working day is proving too difficult for someone, we can see how we can make it better for them. We make sure we praise, reward and balance the hard work and sometimes long hours, with social activities and treat nights. But most of all, we’re ready to listen and as business owners ourselves, we’re also mindful to keep our own mental health in check.”