Celebrating one year of our global business community
by Sir Ian Cheshire
Chair, The Global Business Collaboration for Better Workplace Mental Health
It's been one year since we launched The Global Business Collaboration for Better Workplace Mental Health (GBC). Right in the middle of a pandemic, when people needed mental health support in greater numbers than ever before.
The GBC started with a mission: to create mentally healthy workplaces, all over the world – fuelled by greater education, and a collective response from global business leaders.
Since launching, 97 organisations across six continents have joined our mission. That's 1.6 million employees and counting. This global reach is crucial to building a diverse community that can share good practice and encourage organisations of all shapes and sizes to do the same.
With the Coronavirus pandemic evolving, our global mission is needed now, more than ever. Mentally healthy workplaces are an integral part of the solution.
Collaborating for Better Workplace Mental Health
Since the launch of the GBC last year, hundreds of senior leaders from a diverse range of industries and locations have worked together to share insight, learnings and best practice on the creation of mentally healthy workplaces.
With their support, we are incredibly proud to have introduced the 'Leading to Better Workplace Mental Health' video series, created a succession of Spotlight interviews featuring Founding Partners and Pledge Signatories, and launched the 'Pledge With Us' webinar series. Together, these essential resources have enabled leaders to discuss challenges, celebrate progress, and share their unique approach to tackling the six areas outlined in the Leadership Pledge (heartfelt thanks to our many contributors).
We also built a Resources page to house everything international businesses might need to support their own journey – including our Lived Experience Resource.
We've had great success this past year, but our mission doesn't end here. We're committed to improving mental health for all, and the work we'll be undertaking in 2022 (and beyond) will continue to support organisations and employers every step of the way.
This year, we want to work with more leaders in more businesses in more sectors in more countries. We want to help companies in every corner of the globe to tackle the stigma that surrounds mental health, and to help them find the right solutions for their people, their business, and their own unique culture.
The future rests on healthy minds, but it's a future we must create together.
If you've not yet signed the GBC Leadership Pledge, you can join our global community here. Once you've signed the Pledge, you'll have access to an abundance of helpful tools – not to mention incredible networking opportunities with businesses already leading the way.
And don't forget to keep up with our progress over the next year on our LinkedIn and Twitter pages.
The best really is yet to come.