Dennie Michielsen: Championing mental health in the workplace

Turning that logic around

I first heard of Movember when I was living in the Netherlands, but at the time I didn’t know anyone who participated. My wife and I were watching tv, and a Movember advertisement caught our attention. She suggested that I sign up and get my co-workers at Clyde & Co Montreal to join me.

I didn’t think twice about asking my co-workers to get involved. Like many of my friends and family, I have lost loved ones to prostate cancer. A lack of community stopped me from participating in previous years. Then, it hit me. I should turn that logic around; if I participate, others may follow. And they did!

As November approaches there is always a bit of a hype going around the office. We try to recruit the new members of our team and ask the partners to shave down and join the fun. It’s inspiring to see people of all ranks and departments within the organization participate.

Galvanizing global participation

This will be the second year that Clyde & Co is hosting it’s “Clyde & Mo” campaign, we are still in a phase where we are trying new initiatives to get more and more people involved. Last year, a motivational speech was held in the London office, where former rugby player Jason Robinson talked about his mental health. This year, we are hoping to encourage even more members from around the globe to get involved. Locally, I am working on getting more members of the Montreal legal community to join the fun!

When it comes to Movember, the sky is the limit

Last year, we had around 65 international colleagues participate. We had teammates from our offices in the UK, US, Germany, Australia and more. Our goal is to keep growing our team and for our fundraising initiatives to flourish. Last year, we raised close to CAD$25,000. This year, the sky is the limit!

The activity brings a lot of joy to the office. The message behind the campaign is much heavier and more confronting. I think it makes people reflect on what is important in life, and because our jobs are stressful, we need to take the time and effort to take proper care of ourselves and our loved ones. Movember can put a lot into perspective for workplace fundraisers.

The Movember effect

I hope that our campaign can bring that little bit of awareness to people when it comes to mental health and cancer prevention. Cancer, unfortunately, is a common disease, and since we don’t have a definitive cure yet, prevention and awareness are the best measures we have to take it on.

I hope that campaigns like this make people realize that our mental health is one of the most important things in life. Feeling good about ourselves and our lives has a huge impact on our physical health as well.

I’m looking forward to seeing how my team’s participation in Movember will lighten the atmosphere in the workplace. It’s no secret that the legal industry is a high stress environment, so I’m hopeful that our team can let loose a little through our Movember efforts. If we can provide just one person with the courage to take charge of their health or pass information along to a loved one in need, we’ve done our part.

Growing our employee participation and our donations at Clyde & Co is chief among my goals for this campaign. If our firm can inspire more legal professionals to get involved, I’ll feel like I’ve done my job. Mental health challenges are unfortunately common in our profession. There is a lot more work to be done, and if you have an employer that allows you the opportunity to make a global campaign, it will automatically create an environment where discussions about mental health at work will become more normalized.

For first time fundraisers

My advice to you this Movember, reach out to your family and friends. Don’t be afraid to show that you are vulnerable. By keeping everything inside, you’ll end up doing more damage to yourself, and your loved ones. If you are in search of resources, Movember is a great place to start your journey. Together we can help stop men from dying too young.

Don’t be shy. Speak up to your superiors, pitch the idea and see where it goes. What is the worst that can happen? Remember, it only takes a small flame to light a fire!