I’m proud to be involved in inclusion, wellbeing and sustainability at BKL, and of what we’ve achieved together in the past few months. Here’s an insight into some of it.
Inclusion and diversity are increasingly an imperative part of progressive businesses’ strategies. Our managing partner Lee Brook and I are enjoying being part of the debut Diversity and Inclusion Professional Leadership Programme in association with Charlotte Sweeney Associates and Cambridge Cubed. There’s been so much to learn from the activities, tuition and experiences and contributions from the cohort.
The most inspirational insight so far came from a session with Melanie Jones, President at Sysco. We were very lucky to have had that opportunity.
Our Forum
Inclusion, wellbeing and sustainability is a combination which unlocks creativity, fosters engagement and builds a culture of commitment to doing the right thing.
At BKL, we have a group of people who meet monthly to discuss and more importantly to act on inclusion, wellbeing and sustainability. Others in the business have independently been encouraged to contribute and showcase their own knowledge, expertise and experiences.
It’s been a real success. Since March 2020, the team have completed over 130 inclusion, wellbeing and sustainability initiatives.
Mental Health Awareness Week and training
Do you ever see health mistyped as heath? This would have been appropriate during Mental Health Awareness Week in May, which was dedicated to nature.
We encouraged each other to look after their mental health through going outdoors and connecting with nature. Having an office outside central London helps us to do this: our running club explored the local Dollis Valley Greenwalk.
We also had a nature-themed art competition, and a mindfulness session courtesy of Kathryn Buck (Voice in the Crowd) and Jo Kerr (JK Reflections). It showed how even the thought of connecting with nature, if explored properly with all five senses, can deeply relax and restore us. We’re also using our intranet to share short video clips of calming and reflective moments, including flora and fauna.
Sometimes it’s good to remind ourselves that animals were evolving, and plants were growing organically, long before businesses were.
Building on Mental Health Awareness Week, in June we launched mental health awareness training to everyone at BKL.
Provided by iHASCO, the focus is on stress, depression and anxiety in and out of the workplace, wellbeing management and reducing the stigma associated with mental health, especially at work.
The pandemic has taken a terrible toll on mental health and now, perhaps more than ever, it’s important that we all take time to understand our own mental health and how to support it and others who may be suffering. At BKL we are open with each other about mental health problems, with colleagues sharing personal perspectives on our intranet. However, there’s no such thing as too much education on such an important matter.
Pride Month and Say It Loud Club
We marked the start of Pride Month in June with an intranet feature on the history of Pride which was rooted in protest and then became a colourful, vibrant and joyful annual event.
Later in June, some special guests from Say It Loud Club joined our firmwide Pride Month event to share their stories.
Say It Loud Club is a charity that helps LGBTQ+ refugees seeking asylum from death, oppression, stigma and destroyed lives on the grounds of their sexual orientation. We heard first-hand about the struggles they faced in fleeing persecution, conversion therapy, honour killings and then having to navigate the complexity of the UK’s culturally unaware asylum system, simply to live their lives as free of prejudice and fear as possible.
Led by Aloysius Ssali, Say It Loud Club’s pride in helping LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and refugees is inspiring, and we in turn are proud to support their work.
Plastic Free July
For Plastic Free July – a campaign that started in Australia and spread worldwide – we’ve been sharing information and tips about the benefits to having less plastic in our lives. It’s a start to protecting our seas, wildlife, environment and encouraging everyone to live as sustainably as possible.
Plastic cups are a distant memory in our office, thanks to the reusable water bottles we offer to everyone who works here.
Inclusion, wellbeing and sustainability are works in progress at BKL but enjoyable and rewarding ones. I look forward to bringing you more updates in the coming months.