As well as providing legal advice, Hugh James looks to provide innovative solutions to our clients. Having developed strong relationships within the social housing sector, it has become clear to us that a key concern is the stressful circumstances frontline staff encounter, which can have a negative impact on mental health and wellbeing.
On 4 October 2018 Hugh James was pleased to host a cognitive behavioural therapy workshop, which explored unique and innovative methods of increasing staff wellbeing and reducing work-related stress. A number of clients, as well as some of our own staff and HR department attended the workshop that offered an insight into the different methods promoting inner calmness.
Mental health is a problem not just within housing associations, but across workplaces generally. Dealing with increasing workloads, challenging individuals and demanding clients is mentally taxing and can lead to fatigue, unhappiness and reduced productivity. At Hugh James, emotional wellbeing is high on our agenda and we feel it is imperative to explore different methods of promoting good mental health, both for our clients and our own staff.
Gelong Thubten, a Tibetan monk of over 20 years, delivered an insightful and engaging workshop on the benefits of mindfulness and the different methods of incorporating meditation into a busy work schedule. Thubten was in Cardiff to promote his new book “How to be Human”, which he co-wrote with comedian Ruby Wax and neuroscientist Ash Ranpura. Importantly, Thubten emphasised that a demanding career and a state of calmness are not mutually exclusive; the two can co-exist through mindfulness and relaxation techniques.
Attendants engaged in meditation exercises which focused on clearing the mind through controlled breathing and connecting with the body – techniques that Thubten recommends practising on a daily basis. His non-religious meditation workshops have seen him travel around the globe, delivering mindfulness and wellbeing training to staff in some of the world’s biggest corporations.
Hugh James will be running an employment update seminar on 29 November 2018 which will cover, amongst other things, mental health awareness and the work the firm does in collaboration with Insight Healthcare, a not-for-profit organisation which provides free NHS talking therapy services. Hugh James will continue to explore innovative methods of promoting wellbeing and good mental health, which goes hand-in-hand with the firm’s core values.
