June 2022 - Business Health Matters

We are proud to announce that we have now trained over 100 employees from Lancashire-based businesses as part of our Workplace Health Champion programme.

Tanya, a workplace health champion tutor from our partners in South Ribble Borough Council, presents Level 2 certificates to newly qualified champions from local businesses.

Part of Active Lancashire, the strategic lead for sport and physical activity in Lancashire, and funded by the European Social Fund, Business Health Matters has developed this training programme in response to the rising challenges and concerns over employee health and wellbeing, increased levels of work-related stress, greater numbers of absence due to poor health and the prominent mental health concerns within organisations of all industries.

“The Workplace Health Champion Level 2 Training was extremely useful as a Manager,”
Donna Marshall, Deputy CEO & Partnership Manager at Selnet.

“The learning and group discussion brought about lots of ideas on how we can make our workplace a happier and healthier one. I’m looking forward to putting in place some new schemes with support of our other Health Champions.”
Donna Marshall, Deputy CEO & Partnership Manager at Selnet.

The newly trained workplace health champions, now equipped with the appropriate skills and knowledge, can use their unique understanding of their own organisation to identify what their team needs. Whether it is forming a lunchtime walking group or putting individuals through their mental health first aid, the champions have the ability to address the specific challenges their business faces when it comes to wellbeing in the workplace.

Danielle Steenbergen, Salon Manager at the Salon at Maxy Farm, was one of the first businesses to take advantage of the training.

“I think the impact of the programme on businesses in Lancashire could be huge. Offering opportunities like this will not only help people become healthier, but also shows employees that you care about them as a whole person, not just as employees.”
Danielle Steenbergen, Salon Manager at the Salon at Maxy Farm.

As the community of workplace health champions grows, the more we will see organisations waking up to the new pandemic of poor wellbeing and looking for opportunities to support their staff and boost the health of their workforce. With this emerging network of individuals advocating better health and sharing their experiences, organisations can begin to tap into what is affecting their workers and draw from the successes of others to shape the future of Lancashire’s wellbeing.

To find out more about the workplace health champions training, contact the Business Health Matters team on 01772 299838.

For further contact information, click here.

Businesses across Lancashire are increasingly recognising the importance of employee mental health and are starting to ask how they can improve mental wellbeing in the workplace.

In 2021, mental health issues were the main reason for employees taking time off work, which is higher than the percentage of absences that were due to COVID. Additionally, 1 in 4 employees admit to taking time off (when they are not ill) because of burnout, stress and tiredness, which if left untreated can lead to further mental health issues . These numbers are expected to rise as we come out of the pandemic.

But how else does poor mental health affect your business? It is much easier to recognise the ways that poor physical health impacts your bottom line but could you identify the hidden ways that poor mental health affects your organisation?

Below are just three lesser-known consequences that arise for businesses as a result of poor employee mental health:

Productivity drops because of low engagement – employees who are affected by stress or mental health problems such as anxiety or even depression, can really struggle to go about their daily tasks as they regularly would. The ability to focus on one task or multi-task can be extremely challenging, meaning that productivity rates in your business could plummet as a result of employees experiencing these issues.
Team dynamic suffers – when a colleague is experiencing poor mental health, they often isolate themselves from others and can sometimes struggle with effective communication. As an organisation, this can be costly as essential work processes can quickly breakdown, and as a result, tasks take much longer or even end up unfinished.
Human error occurs – we’re all aware that when we are stressed, feeling down or frustrated, our decision making is affected. It’s similar for those with poor mental health as the ability to concentrate, think clearly and pay attention to detail is affected. This can easily result in mistakes being made within the workplace.
Just how costly could a human error be in your business?

Do you see issues like this in your business? What are you doing to prevent them reoccurring?

Mental health is no longer a taboo subject in the workplace, but as a business owner, you may not know how to approach the topic of mental health with your employees. We’re here to help. If you don’t know where to start and need some FREE bespoke guidance on what your team would benefit from, get in touch with us and we will be happy to help.

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Business Health Matters Reaches New Milestone for Lancashire Businesses

To find out more about the workplace health champions training, contact the Business Health Matters team on 01772 299838.

For further contact information, click here.

Three Hidden Ways That Poor Mental Health May Be Affecting Your Business’ Bottom Line