Gaming mental health charity Safe In Our World has launched the Mental Health Star Accreditation, an industry-first method to help gaming industry companies and studios shore up their efforts when it comes to employee mental health.
As revealed in a press release, the Mental Health Star Accreditation is "designed to provide companies with the opportunity to achieve a mark of excellence in workplace wellbeing", something that's sorely needed in today's uncertain, volatile, and often seemingly cruel industry.
If a company chooses to undergo the process of accreditation, it will first be audited by Safe In Our World; the charity says it'll carry out a "company-wide audit of mental health policies, practices, culture, and sentiment".
Using the data gathered from that audit, Safe In Our World then puts together a report that will tell a company what it's doing well to support its employees' mental health, as well as what could be done better.
If a company successfully completes the accreditation, they'll be awarded with one of three tiers: Dedicated, Accomplished, or Outstanding, depending on how satisfied Safe In Our World is with the company's performance.
Each accreditation lasts three years and comes complete with "annual check-ins and support" from the charity, as well as badges and other media assets for companies to display on their platforms to show off their achievement.
Companies that don't succeed in attaining the accreditation will be provided with a "thorough and detailed report" regarding why they didn't make the cut, as well as "practical advice and resources to aid improvement". They'll also be able to re-apply whenever they like.
Mental health remains a serious issue when it comes to the gaming industry, especially when even employees of massive gaming corporations could find themselves in the layoff firing line with very little warning.
We'll have to wait and see whether the Mental Health Star Accreditation is adopted en masse by the industry, but if you ask me, it's a much-needed step in the right direction for protecting employee mental health. Stay tuned for more.
