Seventeen more organisations sign the Mindful Business Charter on World Mental Health Day

Alongside Barclays and Addleshaw Goddard, international law firm, Pinsent Masons, developed the ground-breaking initiative which initially saw financial services businesses and law firms collaborate to follow a set of principles centred on improved communication, respect for rest periods and considerate delegation of tasks.

Today, 17 more organisations will sign the pledge to join the 21 organisations that are already implementing the Mindful Business Charter. All of these organisations make a commitment to promote a culture of openness about mental wellbeing, ensure responsible business is included as an area of assessment during significant procurement processes and drive forward the actions and necessary change in support of the principles of the Charter and which thereby seek to eradicate unnecessary causes of workplace stress and pressure.

New organisations signing the charter are BCLP, Burness Paull, Coats, Coventry Building Society, DAC Beachcroft, Dentons, FSCS, HFW, Irwin Mitchell, Morton Fraser, Nationwide Building Society, Network Rail, Paul Hastings, Radiant Law, RPC, Squire Patton Boggs and TLT.

Since implementing the Charter, Pinsent Masons has worked hard to bring to life the principles of the Charter and to drive a commitment to change working practices positively.

Richard Foley, Senior Partner of Pinsent Masons said:

"For too long professionals across many industries have just accepted pressure and stress as part and parcel of the job. The Charter challenges that.

“Those signed up to the Charter are making real strides in changing attitudes and in reducing the avoidable working practices that can negatively impact the health and wellbeing of our communities.

"It is really important that we have developed our own methodology for embedding the Charter in our business. We did so at the request of our partners who wanted to take the principles of the Charter and map out what that meant for the everyday – the way we work with one another and with our clients. Set under four headings it sets out what good looks like around Openness and Respect, Respecting Rest Periods, Smart Meetings and Emails and Mindful Delegation.

"This is not a short-term initiative, it is owned by our people and this is how we will ensure long-term and sustainable change. As mental health becomes more and more prevalent on corporate agendas, we’re looking forward to the continued expansion of the Charter."