Published by Neil ThompsonThe Meetings Industry Association (mia) has joined forces with Stress Matters to provide support and help members make wellbeing a strategic priority.
Aptly launched on Blue Monday (16 January), the new collaboration will see mental health first aid training, a wellness manager programme as well as a series of webinars and discounted courses being offered to help members reduce the stress of their teams.
“We have proof that positive wellbeing increases the productivity of teams and ultimately profitability,” says Stress Matters’ founder Laura Capell-Abra, who is focused on creating positive cultural workplace changes and measuring their impact to establish and demonstrate the return on investment.
“Organisations, of course, want to look after the wellbeing of their staff, but often lack the expertise and resource to do this effectively, resulting in too many accepting that stress at work is inevitable. Unfortunately, prolonged periods of stress, increase the chances of experiencing mental health disorders.”
A recent survey conducted by the mia revealed that while sustainability is a key part of the business strategy for 90% of organisations working in the sector, a third admit that they are currently operating without a mental health strategy.
Capell-Abra added: “A sustainable business cannot happen without people. It’s therefore crucial that wellbeing is given its rightful prominence within any sustainability strategy and incorporates initiatives promoting work life balance while supporting and acknowledging the diverse needs of individuals and groups in the organisation.”
The Meetings Industry Association’s chief executive Kerrin MacPhie said: “Positive employee wellbeing should be a strategic priority to ensure we can attract and retain the wonderful talent working in our sector. This partnership will help equip our members with all the tools to address and meet the wellbeing needs of their teams, as well as make positive long-lasting cultural changes.”
The collaboration will kick off with a webinar examining the topic of resilience and regaining control on 30 January.
