I’m not just talking aesthetics, it’s so much more than that: the people, the working pattern, and the culture. All of these components are essential if you want to create a working environment where everyone feels valued, people enjoy what they do and feel less anxious.

We all remember that Sunday night ‘before-school’ feeling; the trepidation when your parents would tell you it was time for bed and you knew that schooltime (and whatever that may bring) was just a sleep away.

That’s how lots of people feel about work, that scared feeling or the butterflies in their tummy at the thought of yet another day in their workplace. It may be that they are worried because they have too much to do, or maybe because their manager never speaks to them about their performance.

Most of us at some point in our working lives have experienced some of those feelings, even to a small degree, and a lot of that anxiety is caused by ‘not knowing’ — not knowing how your manager will be with you, how you are performing, if there are things going on behind the scenes, or what your firm’s future plans are.

This is the root cause of anxiety in most people, worrying about events that have not yet happened — so I decided that something had to change. I don’t want anyone ever having anxiety about working for us, however it manifests itself.

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As a new business, it was important for us to work five days a week in the office. That may change over time, but at the beginning, it is very valuable, as it is an opportunity for everyone to be involved and be fully aware of what and how they are doing, and what our plans as a company are.

Every week, we have an informal one-to-one walk and talk with staff — which doesn’t have to be work related — to catch up and see how they are, if they need help with anything, and tell us what they like or don’t enjoy about their job. We also carry out monthly reviews, so nobody has any doubts about their performance.

In addition, we avoid the big team-building night out, which usually revolves around alcohol. We’ve noticed that the younger people we interview are less likely to want to attend an event like this — in some cases, such a ‘boozy’ night out would cause them huge social anxiety. Unfortunately, the short-term lending sector is rooted in this practice, but it’s one we want to stamp out, or certainly reduce.

Other things we are doing are compulsory ‘Take a Break’ sessions — almost going back to the old routine of morning and afternoon tea breaks. We want everyone to step away from their screens for 20 minutes in the morning and in the afternoon, so they rest their eyes and minds.

On top of that, we have weekly yoga sessions in our office every Friday at 8am. This is not compulsory — if staff members don’t want to do it, then they simply come in later after it’s finished. And for the older people laughing at this — it’s only stretching guys!

I think every business, large or small,  has a responsibility to support their employees’ wellbeing. We are all in business to make money, but how can you put a price on someone’s mental health? The answer is: you can’t — and it’s down to us all to try and make a difference.