Cromwell staff support is embedded in the company’s identity as a proud, independent, family-run business – we pride ourselves on treating our staff like family, and ensure they feel supported by us as a company. This commitment is reflected in structured roles, clear development paths, and consistent investment in tools and training to help staff succeed. But the support for the team doesn’t stop there. Alongside this, we also want to go the extra mile and help our staff with other matters, such as mental health and a supported balance of work and play.
We regularly host internal events for staff to help foster team spirit, celebrate achievements, and strengthen our supportive, family-run culture. They are not only a great way to get staff from all departments together and promote a bit of light-hearted fun during the work day, but they are also carefully selected to promote a very important topic, including mental and physical health, home-life and more. In April, we took inspiration from ‘Stress Awareness Month’ and held a number of weekly events to raise awareness of stress, and try find helpful remedies to deal with it in safe, proactive ways.
Stress Awareness Month
April is dedicated to Stress Awareness Month, an annual event that aims to raise public awareness about stress and its impact on mental and physical health. At Cromwell, we understand that everyone experiences stress at home and work and deals with it in many different ways.
Box With Bish Bash
Sports is a great outlet to relieve stress; doing sporting activities can help by releasing endorphins, improving mood, and providing a distraction. A popular sport people like to do to reduce stress or get out their frustrations is boxing. At Cromwell, we have several sporting enthusiasts, from runners to cyclists – but we also have our champion boxer, Marketing Manager Josh Wood. Josh, who uses sports as a stress release himself, was keen to get on board to give people lessons in boxing, and thus, using his boxing nickname, we hosted a ‘Box with Bish Bash’ exercise class.
The idea was for staff to join Josh as he teaches boxing methods, including pad work and different boxing techniques. With two rounds of boxing fun to get involved in, staff came to learn more about the sport and gave the exercise a great effort. The classes proved to be a great stress release, providing fun, distraction and an outlet for frustration. Exercise alone is a great way to improve your mental health, and of course, physical fitness, and for the team this, combined with a well-deserved break from work, was a great way to help keep their minds sharp and positive.
Dog Days
For many of us, animals, in particular dogs, bring us joy and induce happiness; of course, this can be seen as a great stress release. Research has shown that simply petting a dog lowers the stress hormone cortisol, while the social interaction between people and their dogs actually increases levels of the feel-good hormone oxytocin (the same hormone that bonds mothers to babies). With Cromwell being a family of dog-lovers, the next event was certainly going to be a crowd pleaser – as we hosted the ‘Mr Boots Day’. Boots, is the pet dog of Commercial Director Alex Lee, and on Thursday, April 10th, Boots was our honored guest in the office.
Boot’s presence alone brought much joy and laughter into the office with his bubbly character, and alongside this, all staff were encouraged to take time out of their day to come and have a play, cuddle, or to pet or stroke Boots to help relieve any stresses they have. Boots is a pooch who is extremely calm and well-natured, he loves to be cuddled and has a soothing personality, which helps to rub off on anyone around him. For many, he was a great stress release and a serotonin boost. Boot’s tail never stopped wagging all day, so it would seem he really liked being in the office and boosting everybody’s mood, just as much as we enjoyed having him.
Easter Coffee Morning
Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day, and skipping it and being hungry until lunch is a sure-fire way to decrease your mood and start your day off on the wrong foot. On another note, many have stated that having a chat over a coffee or tea, with a friend, family member or colleague has massively helped them to relieve any stresses or tensions that they have, simply by getting the matters off the chests over a hot beverage. So we decided to combine the two and organised an Easter Coffee Morning open to all staff.
This was an opportunity for staff to come along for breakfast, a cup of tea or coffee, whilst we lent an ear to any issues or problems they may have, or for anyone who just wanted a chat. It was great for people who had stresses they wanted advice on, but also for staff who don’t see people often to just have a nice chat with others. With pastries, toast, hot cross buns and crumpets on offer, alongside hot drinks, it prepped our team for the day ahead, and for may left them with a clear mind, ready to tackle whatever came their way!
Cromwell Carnival
Fun is always a great stress relief, and our final event took many back to their stress-free childhood days with some carnival games during our Cromwell Carnival. We had ring tosses, wack a mole, bean bag throws, a coconut shy and more for the team to challenge themselves at! The fun and laughter was infectious, with all staff beaming after the games and mishaps that came along with it. It certainly spread the joy among the office and warehouse and ensure any stresses that were present, were easily forgotten with a bit of light-hearted fun!
Supporting staff in this way is not just an internal priority—it’s vital to the company’s success. When employees feel valued and equipped, they drive better customer experiences, foster innovation, and help Cromwell realise its mission to be the most resourceful company in plastics, working towards a cleaner, greener future.