Flex days for core wellness
A proud member of 1% for the Planet, its motto, “Putting people and the planet over profit” perfectly describes MLC’s philosophical foundation as well.
MLC is rooted in both nature and mental wellness. Our focus is on working with brands that both build awareness and educate around that philosophy. Our location makes that easy, based in Calgary, Alberta with the inspirational Rocky Mountains just outside our front door.
Recognizing an opportunity to invest in the wellness of our communities, several provincial governments have enabled its health care professionals to prescribe a free Parks Canada pass for its citizens' overall healthcare improvement.
That is amazing leadership.
I take my 4-year-old son on as many weekend adventures into nature as possible. We enjoyed two toddler-paced hikes in September: first to Troll Falls in Kananaskis and then to Bow Falls in Banff on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
As a parent, it’s important to me that I not only teach about, but also celebrate the land on which we live, to truly illustrate just how blessed and fortunate we are to be able to experience it. Spending Truth and Reconciliation Day at my son’s favourite spot by the falls with our orange shirts on was the perfect fit for that objective.
Leading by example
A great way to communicate the expectations of an organization when it comes to its mental health and wellness strategy is to ensure that staff feel safe taking a personal day.
As a leader, I take a “flex day” every month to enjoy the mountains and decompress, and when I do, I let my team know. I’m taking time for my mental health and it’s important they know that. My hiking buddy does the same at her job.
This perspective can be a core component of a company’s philosophy around mental health and wellness, starting with:
How can we support our employees?
Can we afford to encourage them to take days off when they need to?
Is it possible to build that kind of experience into their workday, first?
How else can we help them execute mental health and wellness?
Through strong employee communications – intertwined within your HR and wellness initiatives – companies can elevate their office culture simply through clear messaging. Consider what programs are available for mental health and wellness. When talking about balancing life and work, is it possible to practice this by encouraging teams to start by simply not engaging in work emails on the weekends?
Whether it’s additional flex days designed specifically for mental health breaks over running personal errands, or booking staff retreats in the mountains over a typical downtown boardroom, the more that companies focus on building mental health and wellness into the workplace culture, the stronger we’ll be as a workplace community.