<h2>HI CHRIS, HOW ARE YOU TODAY? AND HOW ARE YOU OUT OF 10?&nbsp;</h2>
I am great thanks; a solid 8 I would say.&nbsp;
<h2>WHERE DID YOU FIRST HEAR ABOUT TALK CLUB AND HOW DID THIS PARTNERSHIP COME ABOUT?</h2>
They first came on my radar through Instagram I think and then they just kept popping up everywhere and seemed to be doing amazing things all the time so I reached out to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavinthorpetherapy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gavin </a>and we met over a coffee and he shared the full story of <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/talkclubcharity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Talk Club</a>, how it started, the journey and where they want to take it which was inspiring and incredible what they have achieved in such a &nbsp;short space of time both in terms of growth but more importantly impact. They are incredible.&nbsp;
<h2>AS THE CEO OF SR2, WHY DO YOU BELIEVE IT'S CRUCIAL TO PRIORITISE THE MENTAL HEALTH OF THE TEAM?&nbsp;</h2>
Put simply, the better people feel the better people will perform so it should be a priority for any business.&nbsp;
<h2>HOW DOES PRIORITISING MENTAL HEALTH POSITIVELY IMPACT THE OVERALL PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY OF THE TEAM?</h2>
I hope it provides further evidence that we care no1. We have been the very first business to do this partnership with Talk Club and offer this support and service to our staff alongside many other health and well-being benefits we offer the team like weekly boot camps, HEKA Wellbeing allowance, unlimited holiday, and financial coaching. The 3 key pillars Talk Club focuses on for mental fitness are Sleep, Diet and Exercise. Whilst people need to take accountability for themselves and what they do day-day to positively impact those 3 key pillars, if we can create an environment that helps support, foster, and encourage good habits against those pillars then I have no doubt it will positively influence their lives and mental fitness as well as their performance and productivity at SR2.&nbsp;
<h2>THE PILOT HAS BEEN GOING FOR TWO MONTHS NOW, HOW DO YOU THINK IT HAS GONE? WHAT FEEDBACK HAVE YOU HAD AND HAVE YOU SEEN ANY DIFFERENCES IN THE TEAM?&nbsp;</h2>
I naturally haven&rsquo;t had huge amounts of feedback as it&rsquo;s a confidential service however the fact every week is booked out solidly tells its own story. We also provided extra sessions with our MHFA practitioners that we have in the business who are around every day. These have been hugely useful sessions and helped give some insightful feedback. Lots of businesses have MHFA&rsquo;s in the team but so often overlook who is looking after them. MHFA&rsquo;s are on the front line of your business and people naturally will speak with them in that role and share and unload a bit at times which can weigh heavy on that individual. We have had monthly sessions as a team of SR2 MHFA&rsquo;s and these have been incredible to help support each other and share so without doubt this has been a positive step for the business.&nbsp;
<h2>DID YOU HAVE A SESSION AND WHY DO YOU THINK IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT YOU GOT INVOLVED?</h2>
I have yes. Not something I have ever done before, to be honest, but I wanted to take myself out of my comfort zone a little as I am not a big talker in truth and see what it was like firsthand. Being a CEO can be a lonely place at times, to say the least, and having had my session I felt noticeably lighter and better for it. I had been attending the group MHFA&rsquo;s sessions as I am a trained MHFA myself and those sessions were incredible and very reflective for me and then 121 was no different. Having never done anything like that before, I came away feeling super positive and I will book in future chats if I can squeeze in.
<h2>ARE THERE PLANS TO CONTINUE WITH THE TALK CLUB SESSIONS?&nbsp;</h2>
100% we have piloted it for 3 months and I feel like it has been a huge success in what&rsquo;s been a difficult year for everyone with the recession and cost of living crisis and everything else going on in the world right now it has been a hugely beneficial additional layer of support to our team.&nbsp;
<h2>WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THESE SESSIONS TO OTHER BUSINESSES AND WHY?</h2>
A total no-brainer if you genuinely care about your people. &nbsp;

1 in 7 people experience mental health problems in the workplace

Why I want a mentally fit business | Chris

Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health. When it comes to your mental health, self-care can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy.
<h2>But what does self-care mean to me?</h2>
Self-care to me is giving myself time to do the things I love, feed my soul, and fill my cup. Life can become super busy, and we can almost forget to spend time on ourselves and with ourselves. Self-care has become a non-negotiable to me over the past 4 years, at least once per week I spend a full day by myself doing whatever makes me feel good, normally a Sunday resetting for the week ahead. I also make the effort to give myself at least an hour a day doing something that makes me feel good.
Self-care can sometimes have a misconception of being a face mask and a movie, while that is someone&rsquo;s ideal self-care routine for other people it&rsquo;s ticking off things on their to-do list. It&rsquo;s different for every individual person as it&rsquo;s personalised to what fuels you, grows you and makes you feel good. A book that really helped me with this is<a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/working-hard-hardly-working/grace-beverley/9781529159004" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Working Hard or Hardly Working</a> Grace Beverly
I have noticed a huge shift in my relationships, creativity, energy and view on life since making this a priority. Being able to give more to my friends, family, and career has made a significant difference as I have refilled my own cup, and given myself the time to emotionally and mentally rest as well as physically.
Types of self-care I love:
🙏 I will walk every day with a podcast for at least an hour
🙏 Buying a coffee and a croissant
🙏 Spending time in the gym
🙏 Journalling before I go to bed
🙏 Meditation/Yoga
🙏 Cooking
🙏 Cleaning the house
🙏 Working through my to-do list
If you don&rsquo;t currently have self-care in your routine, the best place to start is to write a list of the things that make you happy and you love to do, then a list of the things you enjoy that keep you healthy both physically and mentally and slowly start to implement them into your current routine.
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/char-johnson-06a70179/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Post by Char Johnson</a>

What Does Self Care Really Mean? | Char

Incredibly proud of everyone at SR2 after being awarded with the Recruitment Agency of the year (50-100 employees) at the coveted annual Recruiter Awards. But we didn't stop there...our Director and people over profit brainchild Chris Sheard was voted entrepreneur of the year (absolutely well deserved and overdue recognition IMO) Rewind back just shy of 5 years and Chris, Nath and Alicia were in a tiny broom cupboard office in Central Bristol looking at one another wondering where and how to start (pick up the phone but call who?!) Now we have a team of 60+ absolutely legendary, hard-working, humble humans, multiple offices, we’re donating huge sums of money to impactful charities on the regular (£18,000 to Talk Club earlier this week for instance) and winning some of the most sought-after awards available in the industry. Just wow. Thank you to everyone who has played a part in our journey so far - clients, candidates, supporters. We value you all so much and rest assured, this is just the beginning!

Another one of those pinch yourself moments…

What. A. Night | Nath

Yes today we turned 5! And what a 5 years it's been...💙 Over £204,000 donated to charity💙 1200+ Volunteering hours💙 Certified B-Corp with an` initial score of 100.8 *cough considered outstanding *cough💙 Headcount of 66💙 One office in Bristol, one in London and one in Austin, Texas incoming💙 3 Recruiter Awards under our belts, including Best New Agency in 2020 and Best Recruitment Agency (Medium) and Recruitment Industry Entrepreneur of the Year💙 1 Billion litres of coffee consumedThe last one was a guess.Massive love to the SR2 squad - without you we are nothing.Huge thanks to everyone who has supported us on this epic 5 year journey and here's to the next 5!

It's our 5th Birthday! But what's that in dog years...

SIGN UP TO OUR
NEWSLETTER.

Happy Birthday | Sophie

LATEST BLOGS

Why I want a mentally fit business | Chris

What Does Self Care Really Mean? | Char

What. A. Night | Nath