Case Study | Basic Package
GLIDE
Summary
GLIDE is an Austin-based web design and development agency that pairs beauty with results to give great businesses the online exposure they deserve. Clients include leading companies across numerous technology, healthcare, and consumer industries.
Results highlights:
- 100% of managers felt better equipped to support their colleagues around mental health.
- 100% of employees felt more comfortable talking about mental health at work.
- 75% of employees felt more likely to reach out their manager or HR about their mental health if they needed support.
- 100% of both managers and employees had a better understanding of mental health and stigma at work.
The Situation
WHAT THE ORGANIZATION WAS FACING
With the transition to remote work amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, Travis McAshan, GLIDE’s Founder and CEO, wanted to deepen the company’s investment in mental health to support employees and their mental health during the pandemic and beyond.
GLIDE has a strong history of building an inclusive culture for their employees, and its leaders see mental health as a core part of creating a supportive culture in which all employees can thrive. GLIDE Program Manager and People & Culture Advocate Paola Cardenas recognizes the importance of a supportive culture, stating “It’s a life saving reminder that you are never alone and there’s always someone there to help you and support you.”
In recent years, Travis and the management team began exploring ways to better support metal health in the workplace. In effort to reduce burnout and work-related stressors that can exacerbate mental health issues, GLIDE implemented a 35-hour work week and began offering unlimited time off.
In early 2020, Travis realized that the pandemic would challenge the GLIDE staff in more ways than simply moving their workforce to a virtual environment. He received early feedback from employees that the new reality of an integrated work-home life was adding stress to an already pressure-laden situation. Travis explained his need for help in building the foundation for their mental health strategy, “I know we need a way to talk about mental health in the workplace that makes my team feel psychologically safe.”
In response, the GLIDE management team reached out to Gateway to Hope to help build the foundation they needed to create a supportive culture.
The Solution
WHAT WE PROVIDED
Gateway to Hope partnered with GLIDE to take a comprehensive approach to creating a supportive workplace culture for mental health. This included:
- Executive Team: Discovery calls with the CEO to discuss the importance of a mentally healthy workplace and align on mental health priorities.
- Extended Leadership Team: Additional sessions with GLIDE’s Program Manager to discuss why mental health matters at GLIDE, the role of leaders, and opportunity areas.
- Full Team: A 2-hour evidence-based mental health awareness training with GLIDE’s entire team to teach them how to recognize mental health problems, relate to those in distress, and reveal a starting point for care.
The Impact
Training attendees unanimously found the training rewarding:
- 100% of employees said the training met or exceeded their expectations.
- 10/10 average in likelihood to recommend the training to a colleague.
The training improved awareness and reduced mental health stigma:
- 100% of employees felt more comfortable talking about mental health at work and learned skills to create a mentally healthy workplace.
- 100% of managers felt better equipped to support a their employees with their mental health if they needed support.
- 100% of employees felt better equipped to support a colleague with their mental health if they needed support.
- 75% of employees felt more likely to reach out their manager or HR about their mental health if they needed support.
Attendees gained concrete tools and strategies to implement at their workplace:
- “Ways to start the conversation and how to approach mental health struggles.”
- “Walking away with knowing that when I need or want to talk about mental health struggles, I’ll feel more able to.”
- “Normalizing talking about mental health at work.”
Looking Forward
Looking forward, GLIDE’s leadership will continue to create a safe space to talk about mental health and will continue exploring additional training options for the GLIDE Executive Team, Extended Leadership Team, and all other employees.
Travis shared, “While I think we have a long way to go, the tools and knowledge presented by Gateway to Hope were a wonderful start in the process and journey we’re on. The largest benefit this partnership offered was opening the door for more. More transparency, more understanding, more shared knowledge, and more sympathy and empathy to what we’re all going through to one degree or another.”
For other organizations starting their own work in mental health, GLIDE advises: “It’s an eye opening experience for the whole team to learn together. The training help put in perspective how prevalent mental health issues are, and it helped to normalize talking about it in the workplace.”
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