IFAC recently reflected on the lessons that 2020 taught us in its Point of View Embracing a People-Centered Profession. At its core, the accountancy profession’s mission is about people, not just numbers. The members and employees at IFAC member organizations are individuals with distinctive competencies and experiences and are invaluable resources. While we look at 2021 with great optimism, the additional layers of stress, isolation, and burnout that people experienced in 2020 will not simply vanish and therefore, it is important that we continue to talk about well-being and mental health if the profession is truly to best serve the public interest and contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3, target 3.4). 

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That is why IFAC leveraged our global network to discuss the ways that PAOs can address mental health on February 4^th – UK’s Time to Talk Day. Time to Talk Day recognizes the significant impact that one, small conversation on mental health can have.

During our webinar we heard from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), Institute of Public Accountants (IPA, Australia), Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT, UK), and IFAC’s Head of Human Capital on how these organizations are addressing mental health and well-being among their different communities such as students, staff, members, and clients.

We invite you to watch the webinar in its entirety here and explore some of the resources discussed by the speakers below. We can all play a part in keeping this vital conversation going!

Click here for the full presentation slides.

Additional Resources & Information:

IFAC: Explore the Professional & Personal Wellness section of IFAC’s COVID-19 curated resources

ACCA

• ACCA’s Student Wellbeing Hub
• ACCA — Employee Wellbeing
• ACCA launches mental health resilience workshops for wellbeing champions

ICAEW

• Health and wellbeing during COVID-19
• Mental health first aid – how to help those in crisis — on-demand webinar: With the increasing pressure on mental health, members are more likely to find themselves at the forefront of supporting a client, employee, or colleague in mental health crisis. Join ICAEW for this discussion with BUPA mental health professionals to explore practical steps and the resources available to get the necessary help to those in need and to ensure you are maintaining your own wellbeing.

IPA

Articles:

• We Have to Address Mental Health—Especially Now
• Accounting Bodies Unite to Promote Mental Health with Small Business

Education:

• Mental Health First Aid Training and Certification in partnership with Mental Health First Aid Australia
• IPA Program: MBA721 People Management

Individual Assessments:

• Wellbeing Lab PERMAH Survey: a free survey for individuals to see how your levels of thriving and struggle are currently shaping your wellbeing and performance

ACT

Podcasts: https://www.treasurers.org/strategic-insights-podcasts

Articles:

• Resilience: dealing with disappointment in a pandemic age
• How to master the art of optimism
• How to look after staff mental health
• Managing anxiety

Videos:

• Adapting working patterns to support wellbeing and improve productivity
• Diversity and inclusion
• A 10-minute meditation from the ACT Annual Conference Time Out Zone
• Mental wellbeing challenges and coping mechanisms in times of lockdown
• Mental wellbeing: top tips for thinking in a resilient way

Blogs:

• Why looking after your mental health and wellbeing is critical
• Mentoring and career development in times of crisis
• Time critical conversations: resilience
• Time critical conversations: managing anxiety and stress
• Time critical conversations: steps for leaders