How Travelex Approach Mental Health and Wellbeing 

We were proud to collaborate on ‘100% Human at Work’, a project launched by Virgin Unite and The B Team. The initiative is working towards a brighter future of workforces, where their people as seen as human beings, rather than resources.

As part of the project, our New Zealand and Australian partners have been making game-changing steps forwards, as revealed in the latest ‘100% Experiments Collection’.

Travelex, the global currency exchange, is one such partner. Recognising that they needed to have a “prehab” as opposed to a “rehab” approach to mental health within their workplace, read below to see how Travelex approached workplace mental health and wellbeing through systematic and personalised support.

Original content appearing on the Virgin website here.

Mental Health and Wellbeing at Travelex: Systematic and Personalised Support

At Travelex, we asked our colleagues to what extent they felt supported at work in terms of their mental health and wellbeing. Whilst 78% of colleagues told us they felt supported, when 22% told us that more could be done to support them it was clear that we needed to take action.

We recognised that we need to have a “prehab” as opposed to a “rehab” approach to mental health support for our colleagues, ensuring they have the support they need before a mental health or wellbeing crisis occurs.

The World Health Organization states that one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological health issues at some point in their lives, with around 450 million people currently living with such conditions, placing mental health among the leading causes of ill-health and disability worldwide.

This means that it is of vital importance for Travelex to be providing systemic and structured support to colleagues globally, whilst ensuring that all colleagues’ support plans are tailored to them.

Our wellbeing action plan toolkit is completed by the line manager and the colleague, ensuring that both parties have a practical understanding of the practicalities of their support needs.

• The plan prompts discussion by asking questions including:
• What can your manager do to proactively support you to stay mentally healthy at work?
• Are there any early warning signs that we might notice when you are starting to experience poor mental health?
• If we notice early warning signs that you are experiencing poor mental health – what should we do?

This living document can then be updated as the colleague’s wellbeing needs evolve. It also means that in the event of a line manager change, the colleagues support needs are already documented, minimising disruption during transition.

Our wellbeing strategy is also underpinned by our people leaders undertaking mental health first aid training, launching mental health support training for people leaders and a global cohort of mental health champions to act as front-line support to colleagues when they need someone to talk to.

By empowering colleagues to ask for support for their wellbeing and mental health, we can create a culture that enables colleagues to build the Travelex of the future, whilst ensuring everyone has the support to feel their best both in and out of work. We will be resurveying our colleagues to measure the impact of our initiatives in the coming months.

To read what makes ChapmanCG 100% Human at Work, read our entry in the 100% Experiments Collection here.