Feeling that you’re able to ask for help when you need it is incredibly valuable for mental health. Both at home and at work, feeling valued, understood and supported can make such a difference.
At Mayden we have a different organisational structure. We do not have line managers. Teams self-manage and are responsible for prioritising, agreeing and delivering their own projects. Without the traditional line manager function, we wanted to have something in place to make sure that our colleagues had somewhere to turn if they wanted to talk anything through – from professional development through to problems or concerns.
So we implemented a coaching system.
Everyone in the company can choose to be assigned a coach. Mayden coaches are a group of us who have been trained to help people think things through and come to their own conclusions, rather than give direct advice. Coaching is a great way for people to feel supported, but also to feel empowered in working through challenges and making their own decisions on next steps. If any of us need a little extra support, we also have in a Mental Health First Aider who is always on hand (more to follow on this in a later blog).
Coaching is an evolving and exciting project for us, and we are looking forward to watching it unfold.
If you are interested in coaching, check out the International Coach Federation’s website for more information.
