Ustwo's ongoing efforts to support staff's mental health
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Listening to employee feedback and catering to each staff member's unique needs are key to supporting better mental health in the games industry.
That's according to Ustwo Games' head of people and culture, Julie Piedrabuena, who began her talk about mental health on a positive note during GamesIndustry.biz's HR summit.
She noted that some evidence shows companies are increasing their efforts on mental well-being and exploring new ways to support their staffers.
Piedrabuena provided some data on the state of mental health within the UK.
She said, "We know from reports that mental health is one of the top causes for both short-term and long-term absence in the UK from the UKIE census. We also know that anxiety and depression rates are higher in the games industry than in the general population."
"38% of the people who responded to the census reported that they suffer from anxiety, depression, or both. This [figure] was at 31% from the before the pandemic. People's experiences working in the games industry can be very different."
With these facts in mind, she explained that the pandemic presented a time of change for Ustwo. It expanded on its efforts to support staffers remotely and focused on its communications as it paved the way for its current hybrid working model.
Regarding the steps taken to improve mental health at the studio, Piedrabuena explained that Ustwo used various implementations based on employee feedback.
"With longer surveys, we cover diversity and inclusion engagement, big studio changes, and hybrid working as a way for everyone to contribute to how we're working at all levels of the organization and business areas," she
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