The legal profession isn’t known for nurturing, but Kim Simmonds is working to change that, leading by example. She not only provides the best IT and flexible working, but also offers staff 2 mental health days each year to have fun together and reset.
3 steps to a kinder workplace
The theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week was kindness.
We all know that acts of kindness have the potential to make the world a happier place, so ideally we want to live in a world where kindness as a value is built into business decisions, government policy and official systems.
We all have a part to play to make this happen. Here are 3 simple steps to a kinder world and workplace:
1. Be kind to yourself
This is really hard for some people! But as flight attendants have told us for years, you simply must “put your own oxygen mask on first.” You can’t help others until you’ve got what you need yourself. Strip this back and it becomes clear that to do this you need to have the self-awareness to acknowledge what your needs are and how to meet them. It may take courage to ask for help or to admit that you’re not coping. But it feels great afterwards. Only then can you serve others and meet your goals – whether that’s to be a great leader, employee or a parent. ⠀
2. Share the love
Did you know that by helping others, we can increase our feelings of self-worth and purpose, and reduce our own feelings of stress and anxiety?
“Almost two-thirds of UK adults say that being kind to others has a positive impact on their mental health.” The Mental Health Foundation
Kindness is the bedrock of all relationships both professionally and personally, and empathy can make us more resilient during tough times. It can be a simple as asking if someone is OK, taking the time to find out how their weekend was, or recognising someone’s hard work and giving them feedback on a job well done.
3. Lead by example
Kim has made this her mission at Law 365. She’s paving the way for other employers to follow her lead and showing them how kindness can be catching, and commercial. Happy staff make happy clients, and happy clients are good for business.
