JULIA MELVIN

According to statistics provided by the Mental Health Foundation, approximately 17.6 million days of sick leave were taken due to mental health related issues, which is roughly 12.7% of the total sick days taken across all UK workforces and industries.

In order to counteract such damning figures and to raise awareness, reduce the stigma and to provide support, HR Manager Julia Melvin launched a campaign for all employees of Ubisoft Reflections and Ubisoft Leamington.

Julia, with the full support of senior management, launched Project Brave - a new, dedicated group populated with team members across both sites and at all levels of seniority to destigmatise mental health, offer support and promote a refreshed, open culture conducive to wellbeing.

With the help of Project Brave, Julia developed a three-year wellbeing strategy focused on the pillars of safety, awareness, prevention and support. This robust strategy led to the introduction of initiatives such as mental health first aiders, mental health training for all employees, extensive wellbeing discounts and a repository of helpful resources.

Project Brave has, undoubtedly, been a success for Ubisoft Reflections and Ubisoft Leamington. In addition to a reduction in mental health related absences, the studio also picked up a REBA Award for Best New Wellbeing Strategy and received a Gold Award for Achieving Excellence in the MIND Workplace Wellbeing Index 2019/20.