Hayley Gibson, EMEA Software Administrator, discusses being part of Tetra Tech’s Wellbeing Council, mental health support in the workplace, and stress awareness.
Tell us about yourself and your role at Tetra Tech
Before joining Tetra Tech, I was a teaching assistant for children aged 4-5. It was rewarding but stressful! When looking for something to do next I saw a role which seemed interesting and a totally different direction for my career in the Tetra Tech Depot Department, sorting out equipment and mobile phones for new starters. I really enjoyed it, but over the years, being so hands on and on my feet so much got to be a bit too much due to my health issues.
I didn’t want to leave the business or lose the relationships I’ve made here. I’ve always felt supported, and love it here, but I needed something with less responsibility to focus on my wellbeing.
I now work in the software team which I really enjoy, and without really realising, LinkedIn recently congratulated me on seven years at Tetra Tech, which shocked me. It only seems like yesterday I was starting.
You mentioned wellbeing. As a member of our Wellbeing Council is it rewarding to see colleagues get that same support?
Yes. People don’t always ask for help when they’re stressed or struggling, so I always encourage colleagues to take advantage of employee wellbeing resources like our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), Lunch & Learn sessions, and wellbeing network, where there is a great support network sharing tips and podcast or book suggestions available to help manage wellbeing.
That support isn’t a one-off thing, we are always getting involved and sharing ideas and resources which are always there. We’ve had Andy’s Man Club do presentations, Suicide Awareness Day sessions, and tips for calm breathing, and things like colleagues sharing pictures they have taken – dog pictures are always a winner!
They’re all recorded, and people can go back and listen whenever they please.
The rewarding part is seeing colleagues from all walks of life benefit from wellbeing support – even those who don’t usually reach out to such groups but then being completely turned around. People assume large companies are just ticking a box, and we’re like “No! We genuinely believe in this and we’re passionate about helping each other!”.
There’s a lot of brilliant people across the business who put in wellbeing requests on behalf of colleagues asking if we can talk to them or check in to see how they’re doing. Our Europe and UK Division President is a wonderful advocate which is great to have.
What wellbeing or stress awareness initiative are you proudest of?
I lead our Time to Talk Day initiative, the annual mental health awareness day. We pair and group colleagues and encourage open conversations about mental health. You find out some amazing things about colleagues. We try and mix it up so that people across the business at all levels interact and have a chat.
It’s great to see others learn how amazing it feels to talk things out. I’ve been through several therapy processes over the years – I have polycystic kidney and liver disease, which is hereditary. My mum had it and unfortunately died when she was 45. I’ve got a good handle on processing stress and grief, but initiatives like this show you that everybody’s got something they’re stressed over, even if they seem to have it all together.
Since becoming a mental health first aider, I’ve noticed that everyone has something going on that they could do with a chat about. We all deal with stress every day.
How do Mental Health First Aiders support employees?
It varies – sometimes it’s just about being available to people at work and pointing them in the right direction. We also make sure we are available for everyone, for those who may not want to call or make a formal request we have times where we are available for an informal chat in our offices up and down the country.
Obviously, if it’s needed, we can point to our resources or encourage them to seek professional support. These also include accessing the therapy and wellbeing services in their area if they want to and feel this will help.
I was part of the first group of mental health first aiders trained and there’s a new cohort of people that we’re training up to expand our team of wellbeing support to make sure there is always someone available.
What are your personal methods for managing stress?
I’ve learned a few techniques I can pass on. One is called ‘dropping anchor’ which is deep breathing where you close your eyes and touch something to create a grounding sensation. I’ve also benefited from an Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) called tapping, which is a self-help technique that involves tapping on specific points on the body while thinking of a negative emotion or issue. It helps to restore balance to the body, like acupuncture does, and helps reduce stress.
There is also our wellbeing initiative, Tetra Tech Active, which is a competitive tracked activity challenge which sees people running, cycling, cricketing, kayaking and walking round the block. It’s for all levels and abilities but gets a little bit competitive and gets people moving more. It happens every year in early summer and is a great way to manage wellbeing and stress as it gets people together and encourages them to be more active, which is good for the body and mind. It’s great to see what others are doing and seeing their shared recipes, pictures, and mindfulness tips they have shared.
Any final thoughts for Stress Awareness Month?
If you, or someone you know at work or at home is stressed, acknowledging it is half the battle. Bottling things up can potentially snowball issues and lead to larger wellbeing problems down the line. We all feel stress at times, but non-stop stress can lead to burn out.
Again, like the resources we have available, stress isn’t a one and done thing. Colleagues will talk to me and leave feeling better but come back again frustrated about feeling the same way later. They feel like they failed because they think it’s something that you can just fix. But it’s a constant journey. You’re always working on it, and there’s support available online and in person, so never forget that.
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