Productivity pressure, instability and the lack of psychological safety in the workplace are the most common factors causing anxiety and stress in the workplace, as the UK marks mental health awareness week between 15th and 19th May.

A recent study by global organisation Headspace revealed that nearly half of workers feel a sense of dread during the working week. It also revealed that whilst 94% of HR leaders feel an increasing responsibility to improve company culture by supporting employees, they themselves use mental
health benefits less than any other group surveyed.

CALM In A Box, is hosting CALMfest, a week-long online event from May 15-19 where delegates – including HR leaders – are armed with tools to help
them become at least 1% CALMer in a bid to change attitudes across the workplace.

There will be practical tips on how to improve your gut health with nutrition expert, Karen Newby, inspiration on how to get a better night’s sleep, thanks to The Sleep Charity, and help on managing your menopause mind with My
Menopause Centre.

Organisations already booked onto CALMfest include energy company edf, University of Derby and Barclays.

With huge thanks to our headline sponsors – Nuclear Industry Association, Nuclear AMRC and St Modwen who say that they’re getting involved in CALMFest to help continue to raise awareness amongst their workforce and members as well as keeping this important dialogue going over the longer term to build on a culture shift which is establishing themselves and their sector as employers of choice for a 21st century, post covid world of work.

“Mental wellbeing is incredibly important to us and our members,” said Tom Greatrex , CEO of the NIA.

“As a sector, we strive to promote an inclusive working culture by promoting a positive and healthy stat of being. We’re proud to support CALMFest, raising awareness of mental health and raising funds for a very worthy cause.”

Andrew Storer, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Nuclear AMRC, says that they’re involved with CALMFest to help create more conversations within the industry, to support mental fitness and harness energy.

He said: “The workplace is changing and it’s now even more important to support people to better navigate the challenges and opportunities of the post-covid world. We need to retain a healthy workforce and attract people to the sector, so it’s important to ensure the best environment we can
for the welfare of our staff.

“We understand this, and that’s why we’re proud to be involved with CALMFest. Spiritual and emotional health, plus mental health, is just as important as physical health.”

Financial education specialist Matt Cullen will deliver a session on managing your money, Jamie Quince Starkey – founder of the Down to Earth project – will talk about the power of reconnecting people with nature and there’ll be a series of CALM mini masterclasses to take a dive into what the CALM model is about and unlock it’s toolkit for culture and mindset change.

Our CALM philosophy is to do well, you need to be well; energy is our most precious resource, and we need to choose when to be more effective rather than just efficient.

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems we can face and focusing on anxiety for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week will increase people’s awareness and understanding of an emotion that is perfectly normal, but can get out of control and become a mental health
problem.

Six in 10 adults feel anxious, at least some of the time, but it can be made easier to manage with the right tools. Making sure that improving mental health is a key priority for the government and society as a whole is critical for the future.

CALMFest promises to have something for everyone, including tools on managing anxiety, with a great mix of innovative, forward-thinking companies taking part and those attending CALMFest will become armed with the tools to feel more equipped to find work/life brilliance.

It will be fun, informative and also a fundraiser for Mind with the option to make a voluntary donation to the charity when they attend a session. Sessions will also be recorded meaning that they’ll be available for delegates to watch at their own leisure, up to seven days after the event.

Bookings for this year’s CALMfest are now closed but keep your eye on the CALM hub for details of our free monthly online events and upcoming community activity. You can sign up for regular updates via the link.