Are you beginning to crack?

Various images of an egg took Instagram by storm in January 2019, with the first being posted with the intention of becoming the most-liked photo on Instagram by knocking Kylie Jenner off the top stop, with her then world record of 18 million likes. It did just that!

In total 6 posts of the egg (5 photos and a video) were released from the mysterious Instagram account @world_record_egg. The first image posted currently has an astonishing 52.7 million likes. Crazy! Each subsequent photo posted by the account shows cracks beginning to form on the egg. However, the last post, a video of the egg reveals the real purpose of the posts and the caption under the post reads:

"Phew! I feel so much better now :) If you're feeling the pressure, visit talkingegg.info to find out more. Let's build this list together [image of praying hands]".

The captioned website provides a list of mental health organisations across a number of continents. The message is very powerful and in important one, least not because it raises mental health awareness.

Although the post is in relation to social media, I think it's important to recognise that in the workplace it's very easy to crack under pressure – especially if your job is very demanding and as a result, stressful.

Although a basic internet search reveals that the role of a solicitor doesn't fall within the top 10 most stressful jobs, I'm sure we can all agree that sometimes work can be stressful because of the competing challenges we face, especially when they are constrained by that little thing called time.

However, here at Howard Kennedy, your well-being and work-life balance is taken very seriously! This is fostered by a number of initiatives by the Wellbeing team and the number of support services available to all members of staff. We even have a number of Mental Health First Aiders available, trained to help identify the symptoms of mental health issues and assist you.

During Mental Health Awareness Week 2018, it was great to see a number of members of staff from various levels of seniority come forward and share their interactions with mental health via video blogs on the firm's intranet.

The Social Committee also hosts regular events throughout the year such as the summer party,  annual quiz (which the trainees won last year and hope to win again this year) and comedy night, to name a few. In addition to this, there are also a number of clubs that you are encouraged to join including the book club, running club and tag rugby club.

Don't be surprised if you're encouraged to attend a yoga session before work – that's pretty normal. These are held in blocks throughout the year and everyone is welcome. If you're feeling a little sore, you also have the opportunity to indulge in a weekly shiatsu massage.

The pressure of work can get to us all, and if you're one of those lucky 0.00000001% of people that it doesn't (lucky you), you at least know someone that's feeling like they're about to "crack" or has felt like that.

It's great to know that support is there if you need it and that Howard Kennedy really does take your well-being seriously and encourages you to get a good work-life balance. The range of well-being activities and social events to choose from are plentiful and help you feel more valued and part of the HK team.

Link to the Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/world_record_egg/?utm_source=ig_embed