Every day this week we’re sharing the stories of workplaces that are putting mental health at the top of their agenda.
Today we’re speaking to Tessa Cook who is the co-founder of food waste reduction app OLIO .
She believes that mental health must be taken as seriously as physical health in order to be effective and happy.
“Any entrepreneurial endeavour – not just tech – can be extremely challenging for your mental health,” she says.
“This is because of the pressure we apply to ourselves to succeed, often in very short time frames; plus, the challenges and uncertainties around business viability and funding in particular can be very stressful.
“One additional factor that is unique to the tech world is the social norm or pressure to be working 24/7 and the perception that if you’re not working all hours then you’re not committed.
“My view is that tech entrepreneurship is a marathon and not a sprint and so to succeed you need to be in optimal mental and physical health.
“Therefore in order to achieve this you need to take some time out for yourself and family/friends, and through doing this you are making it more likely – not less likely – you will succeed.
“I’m a big believer in the importance of switching off and enjoying real world interactions uninterrupted by technology.
“However it can be tough to do this as tech is so 24/7, but if you set expectations with your team around this then I think it’s achievable.”
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