This year, Johnston Carmichael celebrated seven years as a Gold Sponsor of Scotland’s largest mass participation walk, Kiltwalk.

The event is a beloved part of the Johnston Carmichael social calendar, with staff members across Scotland lacing up their boots and taking mighty strides in support of Scotland’s third sector.

I recently had the pleasure of taking part in Dundee Kiltwalk, supported by a 15-person formidable team to raise funds for local charity, Ninewells Cancer Campaign. As I tackled the 20-mile trek across Dundee, I had plenty of time to reflect on the importance of the event, not just for the charities that it serves, but for enhancing team relationships and employee welfare for participating organisations.

As a member of the Human Resources team at Johnston Carmichael, employee welfare is my top priority.

I like to remind my colleagues that it is not unusual to feel overwhelmed at work - especially when working in such a fast paced and intricate field. But there are ways to alleviate this. Finding the right balance between work, physical activity, such as training for Kiltwalk, and personal time is key. You have got to make sure that you are filling your own cup with the things that work for you when it comes to wellbeing.

Everyone’s energy levels peak and flow naturally throughout the day. I always find that carving out time to recharge and reflect on your work and your day - whether that is going for a wander on your lunch break or getting out for a walking meeting with a colleague – it helps you to positively engage with work and enables a greater level of focus afterwards.

That is why I believe initiatives like Kiltwalk are essential to enhance our culture at Johnston Carmichael.

We engage in a variety of extra-curricular activities all our office to unite the workforce. Our Dundee office recently completed a charity cycling event where departments competed against one another to raise funds for charity. Aside from the obvious physical benefits, this brings us together as a team and creates fun bonding time to get to know one another outside of the work setting.

A well bonded team has so many benefits. It creates a positive and friendly atmosphere in the office and helps us to make strong and effective decisions quickly through our mutual trust in one another.

However, the benefits of employee initiatives like Kiltwalk are not purely tied to our professional development and wellbeing.

Personally, I loved training for Kiltwalk. We did a lot of walking as a family, and it was great to spend time outdoors with my children. By getting out and walking, we had dedicated time to reflect on our day and everything that was going on. It gave me the opportunity to have more open conversations with my children that we would not have had if we had stayed indoors.

Overall, I believe we can all benefit from going the extra mile with events such as Kiltwalk both personally and professionally!