More than a third of our waking adult life is spent in the work environment; how do we ensure that our mental health is cared for during that chunk of time? To commemorate Mental Health Awareness Month, we’ve compiled a list of some of the things we do here at Method to take care of our team and maintain a supportive network for every member.

Taking Temperature of the Team

Every day on our Slack check-in, each team member states their plan for the day and how they’re feeling about it through color; ranging from green to yellow to red - these color temperatures give a quick indication of stress levels and workload. This makes it easy to see patterns in how our team is feeling day-to-day, which can then be addressed.

Flexible Work Scheduling & Digital-First Approach

We recognize that the 8-5 work model doesn’t work for everyone, and can be limiting to how people are able to work. Instead, we have “core hours” that everyone is expected to be available for collaboration, with individual members working before or after these core hours per their preference.

Because we are a digital-first firm, the team has the added flexibility to work where it best suits them. Whether at home or at the office, caring for kids or watering the office plants, the digital-first approach offers the most flexibility for our team to accomplish their goals and meet deadlines while maintaining a daily schedule that works for them.

The Right Person for the Task

Every team member can break tasks into three categories:

• what they love doing,

• what they don’t mind doing, and

• what they hate doing.

By identifying what these things are for each team member, we’ve learned what to delegate (or not delegate) to each team member and who is best suited to take on each task. When people are doing mostly the tasks that they enjoy and feel confident in, it raises morale and productivity.

One-on-One Meetings

Every two weeks, a team member will talk with another on how it’s all going. This meeting is dedicated to asking questions like:

• where do we see growth in the near future?

• are we making progress towards our professional and personal goals for the quarter?

• how are we living up to our core values?

• what challenges are we facing?

These challenges and goals are met with feedback that keeps the momentum going and offers space for issues to come to the surface rather than stay buried. If these issues impact the team, they are added to a list to be discussed and resolved that week.

Dedicated No-Work Time (AKA Happy Hour)

With a digital-first team, it’s easy to skip over on the times during the workday when coworkers can be themselves and get to know each other. We set aside an hour every week to drink and be merry - this is also when we play our weekly game of trivia!

Time off for Birthdays & Company-Wide Holiday PTO  

It’s your birthday - go celebrate. All our team members are encouraged to take a day for themselves either on, or around, their birthday.

We also shut down the office for two weeks a year, during the July 4th and Christmas Holidays, as a way to cut back on unnecessary time spent in the office, and to provide time for everyone to take a breath and recharge.

We believe in creating a better way to work - a big part of that is by focusing on our team members.

What does your team do to maintain good mental health? What ideas do you have for how companies can promote a healthy work environment?