Cisco and Lifeline have joined forces to ‘push’ better mental health in the workplace-specifically in the tech sector. For the second year running, Cisco will participate in The Push Up Challenge.
About one in five Australians experience a mental health condition each year. The importance of mental health in the workplace has grown in the post-pandemic environment, particularly in the technology sector, which is seeing higher rates of depression among workers.
As working modes change throughout the pandemic, the industry faces the challenges of remotely supporting staff in their mental health.
Following the success of last year’s challenge, Cisco is now calling on the broader IT industry to join them and provide relief to tech workers with feelings of isolation, while allowing them to prioritize their physical and mental health.
Participants in the challenge will embark on 3139 push-ups over 24 days in June, which will draw attention to the many lives lost by suicide in Australia throughout 2020.
Karen Schuman, Head of Small Business at Cisco, said The Push Up Challenge creates a safe and relaxed space to talk about mental health at work. By completing the challenge as a team, Schuman and his colleagues are able to provide personal support to each other and develop a better understanding of mental health.
“When working in a high-pressure industry, it’s very important to have conversations about mental health and suicide, and we need to see more workplaces making it a priority,” Schuman said.
“May 2021, when I was first introduced to The Push Up Challenge, marked the 25th anniversary of my father’s death by suicide. The challenge resonates immediately with me, both professionally, as a Cisco leader, and personally. For many years after my father’s death, I couldn’t say the word ‘suicide’ without embarrassment or hurt, so I knew it was time to be vulnerable and have an open conversation within the team. ”
Schuman believes that rallying in a workplace to complete the challenge can have a positive impact on the mental and physical health of teams. It also provides much-needed financial support to Lifeline Australia, which strives to ensure that no one faces their darkest moments alone.
Colin Seery, CEO of Lifeline Australia, said the universal nature of the challenge was enticing.
“Like Lifeline services, the Push Up Challenge is for everyone. The amazing thing about the challenge is how it connects people through exercise, while empowering them in ways that they can make a positive change in other people’s lives, ”Seery said.
“More people than ever before are reaching out to Lifeline for help, and the money raised will support our services that are there for anyone, anytime, for whatever reason. We are pleased to have the Cisco fundraising team to support our crisis support services.
“When organizations lead in this way, it helps to encourage Australians to talk about their mental health, learn how to best support each other and identify when they may need to. raise their own hands for help. “
In 2021, more than 174,000 participants completed 240 million push-ups and raised $ 9 million for mental health programs and services. Participants of all ages and abilities will push-ups while learning about mental health, with a change in the number of daily push-ups to reflect an important mental health fact.
Alternatively, participants can set their own push-up goal, which can also be done as sit-ups, squats or specialized exercises, with progress tracked through a dedicated app. Interested individuals, teams, workplaces, schools and other organizations can find out more and register at www.thepushupchallenge.com.au/lifeline.
.