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Mental wellbeing front of mind for Travel Counsellors

In the week that follows World Mental Health Day, Travel Counsellors is shining a spotlight on a long-list of activity the company has launched to support mental wellbeing.

Dedicating last week to all things ‘wellbeing’, the week saw each day themed around key issues impacting mental health, including mood-boosting physical exercise and nutrition tips, the power of keeping a positive mindset, a focus on financial wellness and a spotlight on the peer-to-peer support available from the wider company community. Guest speakers included Travel Counsellor business owners and colleagues sharing their personal journeys and insights on how they take care of their own wellbeing.

With all resources made readily accessible within a bespoke-built, digital ‘TC Wellbeing Hub’, Travel Counsellors aimed to get the whole company community, which now numbers nearly 2000 people, talking about the topic of mental health. Travel Counsellors CEO, Steve Byrne, said, “Supporting trusted travel professionals to work remotely has meant that we’ve had a huge focus on boosting the motivation and mindset of people who work independently, and keeping a community feeling connected to each other has always been at the heart of this approach.

“The impact of the pandemic on the travel industry has been profound, and whilst we work together to come through this time, we are also increasingly mindful that these challenges have an ongoing effect on people. It’s reflective of our company culture and our duty of care to ensure that we are doing everything we can to support, guide and signpost people to all help available – whether that’s the TC welfare fund which has supported both business owners and colleagues through financial hardship over the last few months, to simply showing kindness, and knowing that someone will always be at the end of the phone when you need them.” Alongside a dedicated personal counsellor, which is a service the company has provided to everyone at Travel Counsellors for nearly a decade, the company has also partnered with Able Futures, an organisation that deliver the ‘Access to Work Mental Health Support Service’ on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions, giving employers advice and support on how to help people cope with mental health issues and improve mental wellbeing at work. Through Able Futures everyone at Travel Counsellors now has access to a qualified and experienced health care professional, who will help to build a nine-month support plan for individuals, and be available to talk over the phone, through email or virtual meetings.

At the same time, Travel Counsellors has signed up to the ‘Mental Health at Work Commitment’, joining forces with other UK businesses to improve mental health care by agreeing to adhere to six standards, including pledging to promote an open culture around mental health, and increasing an organisation’s accountability by proactively measuring and reporting on mental health initiatives.

Steve adds, “We remain focussed on continuing to build a company community where open, honest conversations are encouraged in an inclusive environment, breaking down any barriers that people may have about mental health, and ultimately being there for people when they need us the most.

“Over the last few months, it’s been inspiring to see how our business owners have come together to support each other, and we really see it as our responsibility as a company to use the technology and community platform we have to ensure that people can take advantage of a safe space to talk openly about how they’re feeling, and keep connected to each other, as we work through this time together.”