While mental health is always an important topic, it's only become more relevant—and more important to talk about—in the past couple years. As all of us work to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic without a clear picture of what comes next, knowing that you have allies who can help and provide support is essential. That's why Braze decided that now was the time to launch a Mental Health First Aid program to support our colleagues when they're in times of need.

The Braze Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) program is part of a larger focus on mental health at Braze—which includes the launch of our Healthy Minds@Braze employee resource group (ERG) and ongoing wellness-focused programming and events organized by the Braze People team—and is intended both to provide support for employees who need it and to improve the utilization of our other mental health-related benefits. At Braze, our core values include "Be a Human" and "Take Your Seat at The Table" and the culture that has grown up around those values has already made it possible for people here to have open and meaningful discussions on the topics of mental health and wellness. But with all the challenges that 2020 and 2021 have brought, investing in formal mental health-related training felt like a natural extension of the work that was already being done.

When I realized how much demand and excitement there was at Braze for a formal program like MHFA, I began having conversations with my colleagues to explore how to get it off the ground. What started as a simple idea has evolved into something concrete and significant—we've now had 24 people across all Braze regions complete formal MHFA trainings and become certified MHFA champions, joining a community of over 2.6 million people worldwide. That's especially impressive when you consider the time commitment (up to 10 hours of virtual classroom teaching and around six hours of homework) required from all participants.

It's important to note that the MHFA trainings didn't teach employees how to serve as counselors or how to diagnose or provide ongoing support for others. Instead, it's designed to provide them with the skills needed to serve as a point of contact for someone who's experiencing a mental health issue or emotional distress so they can guide that individual to professional support. Ultimately, this initiative is part of an ongoing effort to normalize conversations around mental health and ensure that we're equipped to recognize signs of mental ill-health and respond thoughtfully and appropriately.

At Braze, a holistic focus on the individual employee is an essential part of the workplace experience—and that includes a proactive approach to support employee mental health via the MHFA program, the Health Minds@Braze ERG, and more. If you’re interested in joining our growing team, take a look at our open roles.