London estate agents JOHNS&CO has launched a new “Wellbeing at Work” strategy, aimed at enhancing the wellbeing of staff as they return to the office.

The initiative is being kicked off with a partnership with health and wellness app “Plumm”, which offers one-to-one video therapy sessions, chat therapy, online psycho-educative courses, guided meditations and live monthly events.

The app has now been made available free of charge to all JOHNS&CO staff members and their immediate family and, since going live, has already proved popular with employees, with almost 60 staff members signing up and over 30 online courses already booked.

Clynton Nel, residential director at JOHNS&CO, said: “ Events of the last 18 months have undoubtedly shone a light on the issue of mental health in the workplace, none more so than in the world of estate agency. As a business with over 100 employees, the majority of whom have now returned to work in what is one of our busiest periods on record, we see it as our responsibility to ensure we are doing all we can to protect the mental wellbeing of our staff.

“We look forward to introducing further initiatives as part of our newly launched ‘wellbeing
at work’ programme and hope this new platform will provide an additional resource to give
staff the support they need in order to thrive.”

Although mental health distress and the need for psychoeducation, growth and support has always been important, the past 18
months have really pushed many of us to the limit, according to Ashley Lourens, head of Wellbeing at Plumm.

Lourens said: “Although mental health distress and the need for psychoeducation, growth and support has always been important, the past 18 months have really pushed many of us to the limit. We have had to face unprecedented uncertainty, isolation, loss, and fear. The changes to our working environment and day – to – day routines have been particularly difficult.

“The need for therapist support during this time has skyrocketed, as people are needing guidance and a safe place to vent and process events of the last 18 months. Workplaces are realizing the importance of assisting their employees through this time by investing in mental health resources such as Plumm’s services.”