All of us thrive when we feel safe, secure, and empowered to express ourselves both personally and creatively. This idea is at the heart of what we do, so it made perfect sense to us to make every effort to ensure our staff feel this way in their work environments.
Since May 2020, Ripstone has been a Safe In Our World ‘Level Up Partner’, and committed to prioritising better mental health practices. We’ve always believed that everyone thrives in safe, secure, and expressive environments. This principle is central to our mission, making it natural for us to ensure our staff feel this way in their workspaces.
Greatly inspired by Safe In Our World, we’ve implemented various practices, policies, and cultural changes to make mental health more accessible for all of our people. Let’s look back at some of the initiatives, resources and training that the charity has helped us with!
Mental Health Training
Prior to becoming a Level Up Partner, our People team had always stressed the importance of mental health awareness training. Three years later, thanks to Safe In Our World, over 64% of our team members have now received mental health awareness training. We aim to keep increasing this percentage year on year, and are already feeling the benefits. Awareness is a necessity to creating open, supportive, and stigma-free conversations at Ripstone.
Ripstone Employee Assistance Programme
In January 2023, Ripstone launched its Employee Assistance Programme with Westfield Health. This program offers fast access to diagnosis, treatment, and 24/7 access to a GP. Our staff can also receive counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy, with up to 6 face-to-face sessions included free of charge.
Small Steps to Better Wellbeing with Walking Club
Since May 2022, we’ve introduced a weekly Walking Club to combat excessive screen time in the office. Our Rockwater Games colleagues gather at lunchtime to walk around Liverpool, ensuring a break from work-related stress. Remote staff participate too, sharing their own walks from various locations around the world!
This free, easy-to-implement initiative has worked wonders for us, and we strongly encourage all of our peers to try and get their own walking clubs up and running!
R. Life Talks
In April 2023, we initiated ‘R.Talks’, a new initiative that aims to destigmatize mental health conversations at work. These confidential weekly sessions provide a safe space for anyone who wants to chat or listen.
Attendees are encouraged to apply their mental health awareness training, fostering mindfulness and empathy. Six months on, participation for these sessions continues to grow.
Resident Psychologist, James Marquis
Back in April, we welcomed James Marquis as our in-house psychology coach. James is now helping us develop tools and holistic approaches to address universal and industry-specific mental health challenges faced by our team. You can find out more about James’ approach in this recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz.
SIDEKICK
Earlier this year, Safe in Our World released Sidekick: The Video Games Mental Health Journal.
Part trusted companion, part helpful tool that can help bridge the gap between you and your beloved games. When you require a comforting presence, Sidekick is here for you.
Whether you’re seeking a space to express yourself freely through writing and colouring or seeking tailored assistance for the challenges you’re facing, such as breathing exercises and thought-provoking journal prompts, Sidekick is here to stand by your side. Find out more, here.
Keepin’ on Levelling Up!
A recent survey found that over 95% of Ripstone’s team members feel mentally safe at work. While we’re proud of our progress, we are committed to ongoing improvement.
Our goal is not just to maintain but to build upon our strong foundation in mental health.
We are actively seeking to define the baseline issues within our organization through a confidential feedback process.
Interested in our ‘Level Up’ partnership with Safe In Our World? Learn more about our work with this incredible charity here.