9and-15and May marks Mental Health Awareness Week, a time to reflect and assess the mental health of our workplaces and encourage everyone to invest in their well-being and that of others. This year’s theme is loneliness, something many creative workers are familiar with. The culture of long hours that plagues the industry and the isolating nature of self-employment can lead to unequal work hours, uneven work-life balance, lack of time with family and friends, and ultimately poor health. mental.
Being a member of Bectu not only provides support, but a community of creatives, all of which can relate to the challenges of finding and maintaining the right work-life balance and coping with the stress that creative work can bring. We work closely with many inspirational organizations and groups who work tirelessly to improve the lives of creatives across the UK, such as Share My Telly Job, a campaign group run by freelancers who champion sharing job to help people achieve a better work-life balance. . Share My Telly Job is committed to educating broadcasters and production companies on the benefits of flexible working and their initiative The project of time allows users to log hours worked and provides data on rates and hours across the industry, allowing users to ensure that all overtime hours worked are correctly tracked. We encourage all of our members to start logging your hours today.
The industry is full of similar positive examples of collaboration such as TV Mindset working to improve mental health on TV.
The recent publication of Film and TV Charity’s Looking Glass ’21 Report provided a picture of working conditions in the film and television industry, and how major issues such as hours, bullying and harassment and talent retention impact workers. Bectu welcomed this necessary research and the report’s assertion that only concerted action can change.
In response to the unsustainable levels of mental health issues in the industry, the Full Charity Picture Toolkit for Film and TV for Mentally Healthy Productions is another fantastic example of positive industry collaboration. The online resource provides real-life examples of best practice, models and advice, one-to-one one-on-one support and one of the UK’s largest anonymous online communities for mental health support. Many industry changemakers have supported and championed this invaluable work and we are proud to be part of it.
In the same way, 6 feet from spotlights, combines industry knowledge with their training as experts in mental health, wellness, leadership and employment law to provide production and crew support. Their new signature role, Wellness Facilitators, support the cast and management team throughout the production process, including on-set support for the crew.
As a union, promoting good mental health in the workplace is a priority, which is reflected in our campaigns and policy development. Our Unscripted branch recently released new guidance on fertility issues at work, and our London production division launched a member-led wellness policy, to support the mental health of those working in film and television. We hope these two documents will be widely used and shared across the industry and provide employers with the tools to better care for the mental health of their workers, whether employed or self-employed.
We recently launched our Work to Live campaign, demanding better working conditions in scripted television series, to support many of our members who are suffering from burnout and low morale. In theaters, our Fit4Purpose campaign aims to change the industry for the better, tackling long working hours, low pay and creating a fairer work environment.
If you want to explore Bectu’s mental health content and guides, head over to our mental health hub, where you’ll find plenty of resources that provide support, advice, best practices, and a range of events and of online sessions that we will organize. throughout the month of May.
We will continue to work with our industry partners to promote better working conditions and mentally healthy workplaces for all of our members. At Bectu, your mental health will always be supported and promoted; No one’s mental health should suffer because of work or at work.
