We’ve got you, brother
In March we hosted the Men’s Fireside Conversation on the topic of “Destigmatising Mental Health”. The event was sponsored by our Group CEO, Gerald van Wyk.
Our Men’s Fireside Conversation is a wellness offering designed for male employees within the AfroCentric Group. The purpose of the programme is to engage male employees on various health-related matters.
Our company has 28% male employees, who are the primary beneficiaries of this programme. These professionals are balancing family and career responsibilities, and we want to support them in maintaining their overall well-being. Interesting revelations based on our wellness statistics indicate that male employees are less likely to utilise our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), despite efforts to make it easily accessible. It is clear that we need to do more to support the mental health and well-being of our male employees.
Breaking down barriers
The Men’s Fireside Conversation is designed to break down the barriers that prevent men from discussing their health openly. By creating a safe and supportive environment, we hope to encourage our male employees to share their struggles and vulnerabilities without fear of judgement. We are cognisant of the traditional notions of masculinity that can often prevent men from opening up about their struggles.
As the Wellness Team, we are committed to challenging these norms by creating a workplace culture that values well-being above all else.
The wellness team would like to express their gratitude to everyone who was part of the Men’s Fireside Conversation. A special thank you to Gerald for helping us to create a space for meaningful conversations. Let’s continue to support each other and look forward to future conversations that allow us to grow, to be human, and to be empathetic in the workplace.
