Workplace gifting start-up Thankbox is marking Mental Health Awareness Week by donating 20 percent of each sale to Mental Health UK throughout May.
The Edinburgh-based online card and cash collection service, which marks its fourth anniversary this month, said it was prompted to make the gesture after research revealed an explosion of people suffering from social isolation and loneliness as a result of remote working. The company, founded and run by husband-and-wife team Valentin and Tsvetelina Hinov, is partnering with Mental Health UK and has pledged to donate funds worth a fifth of every sale made.
Thankbox has experienced rapid growth since its formation in 2020, serving more than 100,000 users and facilitating millions of messages and gift cards.
The company – which won successive Scottish Edge grants in 2021 and 2022, worth a combined £60,000 – is currently turning over £25,000-a-month, and expects revenues to rise to more than £80,000-a-month by 2026. Research by Mental Health UK showed that one in five UK workers feel lonely at work on a typical working day, with almost a quarter (23 percent) reporting that feeling lonely at work has affected their mental health.
Tsvetelina said: "At Thankbox, our mission has always been about more than just celebrating occasions; it's about genuine appreciation and support. "Recognising the mental health struggles that can often be magnified by remote working, we're partnering with Mental Health UK to bring light to this critical issue and provide real support where it's most needed."
She added: "We wanted to do something bigger for our fourth birthday, something more meaningful. Since our platform is already used to bring connection in remote and hybrid teams, this partnership with Mental Health UK felt like a natural fit. We want to leave a proper mark and make a difference." YouGov polled 2,023, including 1,105 workers, on behalf of Mental Health UK in April 2022. Around 53% of respondents agreed they didn't have time to discuss feelings of isolation and loneliness with colleagues, and half reported a culture at work that didn't encourage people to talk about their mental health.
The report said that, following the pandemic when people were encouraged to work from home unless they couldn't do so, just under half of British workers (46 percent) are now office based, with 23 percent being 'hybrid', working from home and in an office, and 18 percent strictly home-based. A further nine per cent are 'field-based', working away from home, but at a variety of locations), according to the report.
Jessica Meddick, senior partnerships manager with Mental Health UK said: "We are delighted that Thankbox have chosen to dedicate their funds to Mental Health UK. "We thank the company for its generosity and commitment to making a difference in the lives of those affected by mental health conditions across the UK."
www.thankbox.com