We worked with our 'agent', Alice Holland on a survey that was disseminated amongst artists and independent producers in Spring 2017. The survey asked a series of questions about mental health, flexible working and how organisations like MAYK could best work with people in this area.
We all encounter mental health issues at some point in our lives, whether our own experience or those close to us.
Working in the arts is emotional; we seek out, encourage, describe and portray all the complicated facets of the human psyche, but in every day we find a reluctance to address mental health, perceived vulnerability or weakness. The research we conducted showed overwhelming tendency for arts professionals to hide mental health conditions for fear they won't be employed or wanted.
We want to change this by making MAYK a place where talking about mental health is No Big Deal, through policy changes to ensure that the artists, freelancers and staff we work with are respected, understood and provided for, and through encouraging a work environment with all of our partners that reflects an understanding and compassionate attitude to mental health issues.
This will be ongoing work, and we hope to lead conversations towards tangible, positive change.
This policy is a statement of attitude. It's a living document that we will update, change and adapt in response to our experience and the experiences of the artists and producers we work with.
We will offer flexible working hours for our core team and freelancers. We will continue to have standard working hours (usually 10am–6pm), but are happy to work around those times if people require a different working pattern. We also acknowledge that our work often involves being around at evenings and weekends and at these times we will work with you to adjust your working schedule accordingly.