This was held at the Isbourne on Thursday 18th November. Feedback was very positive and we all felt less stressed afterwards. So, for those of you too stressed at work to attend, we thought we’d give you a flavour of what you missed.
It started with a lively and informative talk from Kelly Tucker, Founder and Managing Director of HR Star. She spoke about how the role of HR was changing even before the pandemic and how this has accelerated in its wake. The emphasis now is very much on employee engagement and wellbeing plays a crucial role here.
At a time when talent is hard to find, candidates are prioritising to employers who are seen to emphasize wellbeing at work. And there is mounting evidence that this also reduces absence and staff turnover, while encouraging performance and productivity.
While there are some senior managers who still see this as “fluffy” stuff, more and more are recognising the importance of recognising the signs of stress and understanding the need to manage workloads and work / life balance.
The culture and values of an organisation are absolutely key. People need their employer to have a purpose they can buy into and to feel like they “fit.” Importantly, they need to feel free to express their issues and not feel the need to be always in “work mode” and online.
Specialists like HR Star clearly have a major role to play in guiding organisations to this more enlightened state.
After this, Kathryn Buxton, Educational Manager and Mindfulness and Meditation Tutor demonstrated some of the techniques taught at Isbourne to help people manage stress at work. The key principle is that people need to spend more time in the present and less time running alternative future scenarios or analysing issues in the past and their consequences. Things we all tend to do far too often, to little benefit.
Focus on the breath can help a lot here. She showed how being conscious of breathing in and out, even saying it to yourself while you do it, helps you focus on the present.
Of course, the only way to appreciate this is to experience it yourself and the Isbourne runs many courses and workshops to help people do just that.
The Chamber is hugely grateful to both Kelly and Kathryn for their sessions and to the Isbourne for hosting and sponsoring the event, which we hope to repeat next year.
What else did you miss? Some very nice food from Poco Culina and some great conversation.
