ERB TRANSPORT MAKES MENTAL HEALTH A PRIORITY

Today, on the 10ⁱ anniversary of Bell Let’s Talk Day, we had our official launch for our Not Myself Today campaign at our Corporate Office. Mental health is just as real as physical health -- we all have it. We all need it. Today we encouraged all our employees to wear bright shirts in support of mental health awareness. We all have days we don’t feel like ourselves, days we feel like we need to stay in bed and be left alone. Here at Erb, we are purposing ourselves to build a work culture where there is no stigma against talking about mental health. Many of our New Hamburg employees and our Executive team, took time out of their busy day, to stop by one of the stretch breaks. Our Corporate Office entrances were all dedicated to mental health, filled with brightly coloured words describing different emotions. There were four different stations set up with activities, and resources to equip our employees with tools to look after their mental wellness. During the stretch break there was lots of laughter, as we all followed the stretch and dance video.   One of the most popular activities was the Managing your Mood table, this table had a variety of colourful mood pins. Employees each picked a pin to best describe their mood and will be able to exchange it daily. These pins are great conversation starters, and a visual reminder that we all have feelings, and experience both good and bad days. We are working, to build a workforce, that is mindful that the person they are sitting beside from 8am-5pm, or the drivers they interact with in the yard, may be struggling with their mental health, and that a little kindness, may be just what they need. We had an employee share with us, that she wished she could choose the “cheeky” pin but in reality, she was feeling tired and down, and knew the “foggy” pin was more appropriate. After participating in the stretch break, and having an opportunity to chat with some of her fellow coworkers, she traded her pin in. After our stretch break, she could now say she was feeling cheeky! This is the kind of positive change we are hoping to spread. To be able to brighten up someone’s day, even if for just a minute. We will be hosting similar workshops across all our terminals this year. We want our employees to understand, it’s okay to not to be okay. We all experience times of distress and hardships in life, and there is no need to suffer alone. Take some time today to check in with those you care about and see how they’re doing. And if you’re struggling with your own mental health, reach out to someone you trust today. Each time you watch Bell's video today, they will donate 5¢ towards Canadian mental health initiatives. Watch it as many times as you would like and share it. Every bit will help. #BellLetsTalk #NotMyselfToday