SELF CARE IS NOT SELFISH

Almost 9 in 10 people working in film and TV have experienced a mental health problem.

COVID-19 has put enormous stress and worry on many people in our industry – and a recent survey hinted at the scale of the problem.

87%

Mental Health

87% of people in our industry have experienced poor mental health due to COVID.

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65%

National Average

65% of people outside our industry have experienced poor mental health due to COVID.

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82%

At Work

82% of people in our industry have at some point witnessed bullying in the workplace.

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The figures above are from a 2019 report and since then the industry has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic and the continued effects of systemic discrimination, bullying and harassment. This is a problem the industry needs to solve – but what can you do about your own wellbeing?

There are self-help steps you can take plus we want to find out how much the picture has changed since 2019. Our Chief Medical Officer has put together a confidential questionnaire to help you benchmark how you’re doing. No personal identifiable information is collected and at the end of the survey there is a short report that allows you to compare your results with our benchmarks gathered from other organisations that publish their results.

Are you at greater risk from COVID-19?

Uncertainty and adjusting to new ways of working can cause worry and anxiety, even more so if you are at elevated risk if you get infected.

Check your risk by answering a few simple questions.

The Survey and Dr Colin

The television and film industry can be an exciting place to work. But it has always involved long hours and a largely freelance working culture which can be stressful. Then COVID hit the industry hard and for many placed a significant toll on mental health.

We want to help companies and individuals assess wellbeing and benchmark against our and other industries. This is important. Let’s get the conversation going.

Dr Colin Thomas
Dr Colin ThomasChief Medical Officer
Dr Colin Thomas MA MB BChir MFOM trained in medicine at Cambridge University and after spells in anaesthetics and general practice settled on a career in Occupational Medicine. He has worked for a number of high profile organisations including Ford Motor Company, Sky, the Financial Times, and the NHS. He then spent 25 years at the BBC, latterly as Chief Medical Officer. He is particularly interested in health risks associated with television production and has occasionally been involved on the other side of the camera. He also has an interest in wellbeing, particularly mental health and work related stress.

Suggestions for achieving a healthier working environment:

  • Develop a ‘mental health at work’ plan
  • Encourage an environment where individuals feel safe opening up about their mental health
  • Develop mental health awareness among employees
  • Encourage good people management including monitoring wellbeing
  • Train Mental Health First Aiders to spot if people are struggling
  • Make sure employees have good working conditions, opportunities to develop and a healthy work/life balance

Suggestions for achieving a healthier working environment: