Hayley Blundy formally became FuturLab’s Studio Wellbeing Manager in 2023, having joined in 2019 as Studio Coordinator. Before joining FuturLab, Hayley worked as an IT Acquisition Project Manager (which she says she was terrible at!) and as a Project Manager for Bupa where she was a wellbeing champion and part of the department’s events committee.
At FuturLab, she takes care of our wellbeing strategy, implements our mental health best practices and pathways, and is the studio's event extraordinaire! She is sometimes known affectionately as ’Studio Mum’
How did you become a Wellbeing Manager?
“My role came about because of the pandemic. Before 2020, I was Studio Coordinator, looking after the physical space and supporting our CEO, Kirsty, with admin like invoicing, HR and onboarding.
“When the pandemic hit, 80% of my role disappeared, so I looked for other ways to be useful: posting tips on Slack, reminding people to take breaks, leading breathing exercises and things like that. Kirsty asked me to create a wellbeing PowerPoint, which flowed easily, especially as I’d just become a mental health first aider.
“It was well received, and when we returned to the office, wellbeing continued as a main part of my role. With the studio growing, I was soon juggling HR, wellbeing and office coordination, which became too much.
“When our COO, Chris, joined, we mapped all my tasks on post-it notes and filled the whole meeting room wall! We then split them into three roles: Head of People, Studio Coordinator, and Mental Health & Wellbeing. That was in 2021, but hiring took time, so it wasn’t until 2023 that Studio Wellbeing Manager became my full-time focus.”
Hayley Blundy, Studio Wellbeing Manager
Did you always want to work in the video game industry?
“I had never even considered that video games was an industry, it just wasn’t on my radar. When I was a kid me and my brother saved up for a Sega Master System to play Sonic (mostly his idea), but I was overwhelmed by the fear of getting it wrong. My brother would deliberately make me die so he could have a go, and I just gave up on it. So that was a turning point for me not really engaging with games anymore. It never occurred to me that there were jobs in video games that I could do!”
So, how did you hear about FuturLab and apply for the role?
“It was midnight and I was warming up my daughter’s bottle in the middle of the night. I was in the depths of post-natal depression and I had just been made redundant. I remember seeing the Studio Coordinator role on Indeed and it was really concise and to the point and basically said: ‘You're the right person for this job if you're happiest when helping people, you can multitask and you don't need to have an interest in video games.’
“That felt like me in a nutshell. I was so tired and fed up of applying for jobs and getting nowhere that I just applied from my phone there and then, with no ‘fluff’ or hard sell. The next morning, I got an email from Kirsty requesting an interview and the rest is history. It’s really stuck with me that it was actually my most authentic self that got me the job.”
People may know that you are also a keen dancer, in what way is that a part of your life?
“Dancing was always a hobby, and at 22 my teacher asked if I’d ever consider teaching. At the time I was working at NatWest in admin, but after a few months I went part-time so I could teach. Soon I was running 12 classes a week.
“It all happened organically, so it never felt like a huge life decision. I was having fun and earning more than my employed job, but I never wanted it to be full-time; I worried relying on it as my sole income would take away the passion.”
I know you've stopped teaching dance last year - are you still dancing for yourself?
“I taught for 18 years and in hindsight, I probably should have paused my class around a year earlier than I did. I had created a space for an older, inclusive group to learn hip hop and a loyal community, with a core group dancing with me for 15 years and I didn’t want to take that away from people.
“When perimenopause hit around 2 years ago, I became exhausted and burnt out but felt guilty leaving behind the space I’d built. It was hard to put myself first and let people down.”
“For months after stopping, I felt lost and thought my dancing days were over but recently, I plucked up the courage to return as a student. I cried at my first class back because I experienced the euphoria that dance gives me for the first time in a long time, and I didn't know I could still feel like this. I feel like my spark is coming back after a hard year.”
Hayley's FuturLab Gnome
What area of wellbeing are you focused on right now?
“Actual wellbeing in the workplace is so much deeper than awareness days and is more about psychological safety which is what I really want to focus on.
“Psychological safety is made up of lots of different things and is hard to put into words, but it’s knowing that you are valued and cared for by your employer and as a result you can call in sick without feeling guilty, have a bad day without feeling like you’re going to lose your job and that you can be honest with your colleagues and manager and bring your full authentic self to work. A feeling of safety also means you’re comfortable speaking up, challenging people, and saying what you think is right or wrong.”
Hayley at FuturFest, the festival she planned for our FuturLab Summer Party 2024
Last year you organised our amazing Aquaria party - where do you even begin with a project like that?
“I try to backwards engineer it and start with questions for myself like: ‘what is the feeling that I want to evoke?’ and ‘what are the memories that people are going to take away?’.
“I worked with an event organisers, RockitFish, who helped present me with an array of ideas with venues, entertainers etc. It’s a bit like pick and mix, where I get to go shopping and build an event using their resources. I have the advantage of knowing our team really well, what has worked and hasn’t worked in the past, and what feedback to bring into each event.
“It’s important to me that I don’t force fun, and like all my wellbeing stuff, I wanted to create an ‘opt in’ event that was accessible for lots of different types of people. I wanted Aquaria to be special but in a low-key way and I considered every aspect in terms of noise, how busy it would be, how smooth it would flow and the gift. Even though I was combining 3 events into 1 (Golden Gnome Awards, PWS2 launch and the End of Year celebration), I didn’t want it to feel chaotic! The silent disco was an example of that because it gave people the option to dance or sit and chat with some quiet background music.”
What are you most proud of with Aquaria?
“I’m given complete trust and autonomy for these events which I really value. It’s a huge responsibility and I, of course, want to nail it and surprise people in a good way! RockitFish asked me for some words to describe how this event would look and I said magical, ethereal, calm and serene. Magical was the number one thing for me, because I wanted it to feel really special. I didn't tell anyone, so I was super chuffed when after the event, Chris told me that it was magical."
Hayley at Aquaria, our 2025 end of year party
What advice would you give to someone who is interested in a wellbeing role?
“To do a wellbeing focused role you need to be in tune with who you are and what your boundaries are, so you know how you’re going to protect yourself emotionally. If you’re a natural empath, you need to be confident in your own self-preservation and your personal support networks: you’ve got to learn how to take care of yourself first because you can’t pour from an empty cup.
“Being in this kind of role can also make it quite difficult to take your own advice and admit when you’re not doing okay. That said, when I have opened up, I’ve been met with nothing but love and support, but it doesn't negate the fact that it was really hard to do. So make sure you know how to look after yourself as a starting point, before opening yourself up to helping others.”
You’ve mentioned in the past that you’ve been exploring the possibility of having ADHD. How has learning about your own neurodivergence changed how you approach your role?
“It's definitely changed how I approach my role. I didn't see it in myself until last year, and I think I only realised it because the video games industry in general has quite a lot of neurodivergence. I was an ambassador for Safe In Our World (who, by the way, are great at highlighting education and resources around it) and my Husband I are currently going through the ADHD assessment pathway with my daughter. Whilst completing the application forms, I realised that there are many ADHD traits that I also recognise in myself.
“I’m actually really confident and content in who I am, and if I'm a bit neurospicy then great! I don't feel that I need an official diagnosis, as I know enough about myself to know what I need and how to advocate for myself.”
Hayley and her Sonic stealing brother in the 80s (left)
Hayley at a dance competition with 'Mums Da Word', the class she as rejoined as a student (right)
What is your favourite thing about working at FuturLab?
“Everything to be honest! Something that stands out is the amount of trust and autonomy that I get in my role. There’s a lot of two-way trust and I don’t feel like I’ve got to prove myself all the time.”
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? Either for the workplace or outside of it?
“An old boss had a lot of sayings that have stuck with me. ‘The only thing certain in life is change’. Also, ‘every day is a school day’. A lot of advice that I like and resonates revolves around the idea of change because it’s something I’ve always struggled with.
“Another favourite is that everything is a phase, the good the bad and the ugly! Nothing is a permanent state. Also I have a mug that says everything is made up! Cavemen didn’t know how to do Excel spreadsheets did they, so try not to take things too seriously.”
Thank you Hayley for sharing this with us! More FuturLab Features will be coming soon. To keep up to date with the latest FuturLab game and studio news, please subscribe to our newsletter.
