Creating a culture of care in a high-pressure, low-trust industry
How Havas London made everyday mental health support part of agency culture.
Churn destabilises teams, absence eats into productivity, and burnout silences creativity
The Challenge
Media’s Messy Mental Health Problem
Agency life runs on late nights, urgent deadlines, and relentless pitches. The toll is heavy: churn destabilises teams, absence eats into productivity, and burnout silences creativity. With three in four creatives close to exhaustion, the question was simple — how do you protect your people when the work never slows down?
Self Space helped move the conversation from crisis response to everyday culture — a shift other models can’t sustain.
creatives = close to exhaustion
Mental Maintenance for Everyone
Havas London knew the pressure wasn’t going away. Instead of hoping for the best (and fearing the worst), they chose to lead — setting a new standard as a supportive, stable employer. With CEO James Fox championing the shift from the top, Havas partnered with Self Space to design a programme built for the realities of agency life: practical, human, and sustainable. The programme focused on four core areas:
Accessible Therapy:
Up to six 1:1 sessions for every employee — offered virtually or in-person at Self Space’s King’s Cross site, conveniently located for easy, flexible access.
Workshops & Coaching:
Tailored sessions, chosen by Havas to tackle their most pressing challenges — burnout, boundaries, and leading under pressure.
Ongoing Resources:
Monthly content delivered through our platform — keeping conversations active between workshops.
Leadership Support:
Coaching and tools to help managers move from firefighting to prevention.
Every element was designed around the realities of agency life — tackling burnout, presenteeism, and the stigma that stops people speaking up. For the first time, mental health support wasn’t a perk or a crisis measure: it became part of daily agency life, benefiting both people and the business.
The Self Space Difference
Short summary
Therapist-led, not off-the-shelf
Every session run by clinicians with lived industry insight — from burnout to leadership under pressure.
Neighbourly Approach
Therapy available just next door — making support feel as everyday and accessible as grabbing a coffee.
Culture baked in
Co-designed with Havas’s Equalise strategy — putting wellbeing, diversity, and inclusion on equal footing.
Mental maintenance, normalised
Moving the conversation from crisis response to everyday culture — a shift other models can’t sustain.
Outcomes
The outcome: a stronger, more sustainable agency culture where creativity thrives — because people do.
Therapy uptake reached over 25%
Compared to <5% for traditional EAPs.
+600% increase in confidence to seek support
Clear evidence of culture change
Leaders can better balance client demands with team wellbeing
Employees reporting higher engagement and valuing the support provided.
“Self Space continues to be an amazing partner to Havas London. Their locations are warm, friendly (and unique!), and they’ve helped us open up ongoing conversations about mental health across the business.”
Rosy Hutchins
Havas London
Let's Talk
Case studies
Our team of qualified people are on hand to deliver therapy that works, talks that engage, and training that builds confidence and inspires. Read about how we help our partners championing the mental health of all their people.
