Wellbeing advice for employers
Delivering to tight timeframes, when working with inflexible budgets and in unpredictable circumstances can make prioritising wellbeing a challenge.
Our 2024 Looking Glass Survey revealed that:
63% of respondents feel that working in the industry negatively impacts their mental health
But it also pointed to signs of hope:
45% of respondents had sensed positive change in the industry's culture and behaviours towards mental health and wellbeing over the past 12 months
To help, we have put together some resources that can contribute to the creation of a supportive environment and start important conversations around wellbeing and mental health.
Industry resources to help you create a supportive environment
ScreenSkills have developed an HR toolkit, which includes advice and resources for employers and hirers in film and TV on fair and transparent recruitment processes and the importance of good onboarding, feedback, and offboarding.
There is also a range of e-learning and online training courses available, including modules on good working practice in High-End TV; leadership and management essentials for those working in unscripted TV; how to have difficult conversations at work; and managing tricky relationships.
Our mental health training courses are tailored to equip screen industry professionals with practical tools, skills and insights to build healthier workplaces where everyone can produce their best work.
6 ft From The Spotlight combines industry knowledge with expertise on mental health, wellbeing, employment law, and leadership to deliver training and support to your production and crew. Check out their Workplace Wellbeing Policy template.
Call It! is an entirely anonymised app to record the daily treatment of workers via a simple traffic-light system, allowing them to make a note of any incidents of workplace bullying and harassment. It is designed to increase productivity at work and decrease absenteeism, presenteeism, and staff turnover by supporting the mental health and wellbeing of staff and freelancers.
Raising Films have produced guidelines and suggestions for making the full lifespan of a production fully inclusive for parents and/or carers.
This report, produced by Bournemouth University, explores the background, context, and key findings of a pilot project designed to improve support for TV freelancers as their contracts come to an end.
The initiative, called Supportive Offboarding, introduces a short, structured conversation between a freelancer and a facilitator representing the employer. Taking place as the contract nears completion, this meeting provides an opportunity for a constructive and supportive dialogue - helping freelancers feel valued, offering space to reflect on their experience, and signposting resources for future work and wellbeing.
Other organisations who provide helpful guidance on supporting wellbeing at work
Acas has produced guidance on understanding the law and supporting mental health at work, including the provision of reasonable adjustments. Learn more about what reasonable adjustments are.
The Mental Health Foundation’s Guide, How to support mental health at work, is a comprehensive guide to addressing mental health at work. It includes advice on how to support those with existing issues, those at risk, and the workforce as a whole. It has guidance on how to provide general support for colleagues and specific advice for line managers.
Mind have produced a wealth of easy and practical resources including this guide on how to have conversations about mental health and wellbeing. They also outline simple, practical, and inexpensive steps any organisation can take to support the mental health of their staff – whether they’re stressed or have a diagnosed mental health condition.
This CIPD guide will help you proactively identify and manage conflict at work. It covers the people management skills you need to become part of the solution to resolving workplace conflict.
BITC has designed a great tool to support employers in their response to the suicide of an employee, at work or outside the workplace.
Leapers provide a range of services to help organisations be freelance friendly and do their best work together in a supportive way.
Support available for you
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Mental Health and Wellbeing
Our trained team has lots of experience and can give you discreet advice. We can help with grief counselling, bullying and harassment advice and support.
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The Whole Picture Toolkit
We have created the Whole Picture Toolkit to support people at all levels of production, and to support Managers and Senior Creative leaders to look after their team’s mental health.