In today's ever-evolving and fast-paced world, we recognise that there is a general concern about the pressures that can have an impact on mental health and wellbeing. By integrating mental health training, awareness and resources across RELX, we aim to create an environment where open dialogue about mental health is encouraged. This approach seeks to not only reduce stigma but also nurture a more positive and empathetic workplace culture.

We have mental health first aiders across our organisation who act as a point of contact for any colleague who is experiencing a period of adverse mental health or emotional distress. This interaction could range from having an initial conversation through to supporting the person to get appropriate help. As well as in a crisis, mental health first aiders are valuable in providing early intervention help for someone who may be developing a deterioration in their mental health.

Employees who are trained mindfulness and meditation practitioners regularly facilitate live sessions for their peers to join. During these events we have seen individuals share their stories of living with bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, dealing with grief and bereavement, supporting loved ones and maternal mental health. You can read this moving, first-hand story by one of our colleagues as he shares his personal experience of anxiety.

"As a mental health champion for RELX, I have organised events to get people together such as a mindfulness session, a run club and quizzes," says Mai Trinh, head of tax reporting, risk and reputation at RELX. "What I love about RELX’s wellbeing programmes is that they provide a platform for people to connect and make work a happier place."

"I have been hosting regular mindfulness meditation sessions for our employees through Elsevier's Mindlife programme for four years now and it all started from a personal desire to help colleagues. I am from Italy which means that back in March 2020 I was among the first Elsevier employees to be in full lockdown. I knew what I was suffering soon would hit others so I opened a Zoom room and started doing what I usually did every morning; mindfulness meditation,” says Claudio Colaiacomo, vice president of global academic relations at Elsevier. “Soon participation soared and I found myself meditating with hundreds of colleagues from around the world. Today that streak of meditations continues through MindLife where we now have a group of colleagues delivering daily mindfulness sessions accommodating different time zones. People find comfort knowing there’s a group of their colleagues who care for their mental wellbeing.”

Elsevier recently won an award for ‘Mental Health UK Large Employer of the Year’. "This award recognised our MindLife programme as the best mental health and wellbeing programme of the year which focuses on recovery and preventative solutions," says Rebecca Stockdale, executive assistant and MindLife programme lead at Elsevier.

"When working with my peers, one of the things we say about Elsevier is how much it cares for our wellbeing. We recognise that this isn't something all companies do. When you feel supported and heard, you feel safe. When you feel safe, you can speak up, take risks, try new things," says Susan Ikeda, senior editorial project manager at Elsevier. "Healthy wellbeing at work naturally flows into regular life. It's the ripple effect - if you're in a good place then those around you are too and it ripples from there. Normalising wellbeing as part of work makes work less stressful - or at least manageably stressful (you're not alone!)"

We offer employee assistance programmes to all our employees, providing professional counselling to help them and their family members with personal or work-related issues that may impact their health or well-being. This service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

"In addition to our core mental health programme we also look to our senior leadership team to destigmatise mental health in the workplace by organising annual senior leadership discussion panels which focus on mental health and their personal experiences," noted Alison Fox, wellbeing programme manager at LexisNexis Risk Solutions. "These sessions have been the most attended of all the events we’ve organised. We have a mental health employee resource group (ERG) which people can join to chat about personal issues and struggles. The more we’ve talked about mental health, from sessions about suicide, neurodiversity, anxiety and stress, the more our people feel accepted, understood and educated."

To further promote a healthy and happy culture, we’ve partnered with Headspace, a global leader in mindfulness and meditation. Employees across RELX have free access to the Headspace app which offers resources such as storytelling, breathing exercises and guided meditations on everything from stress to sleep.

“The Headspace app has helped me immensely," says Rebecca Iali, customer engagement consultant, government at LexisNexis Risk Solutions. "Mindfulness meditation has been integral in my wellbeing. It’s important to me to practice daily. When challenges happen, I’m much better equipped to handle adversity that comes my way. Breathing is the most practical way to move through challenges and turn them into opportunities.”