Business brunch will discuss employee wellbeing

The event will be held at the charity’s education and conference centre on March 19.

The seminar will look at research that shows how looking after employees can benefit individuals, organisations and communities, with a positive impact on economic, social and health outcomes.

The morning starts with welcome drinks and a breakfast buffet at 9.30am, before two speakers share their discoveries, thoughts and top tips on creating and maintaining wellbeing at work.

Emily West, business development manager from design and marketing agency Made is passionate about sustainable development, organic growth, collaborative work culture and team leadership and is a self-confessed wellbeing advocate, environmentalist, travel zealot. She will be speaking about how the Swedish ethos of Lagom can transform working environment, team wellbeing and work-life balance. She is an advocate of a six-hour working day.

She said: “To be able to have a work-life balance you have to know how much each one weighs. Our six-hour day of ‘rigid-flexibility’ creates the structure needed to keep work for work and home for home.”

Darren Lawrence, is committed to developing people and improving organisations. His experience as a business coach in grassroots sports spans 20 years, including stints with Sport England and The Football Association. He is now a business coach and consultant and currently works with a range of clients and organisations including local authorities and SME’s. His talk will encompass ‘what is wellbeing, and whose responsibility is it?’. He will draw from his personal experience and showcase examples from organisations to address these questions; as well as considering whether the concept of wellbeing is a fad or here to stay; and how we know when wellbeing strategies have worked. He believes that all types of business can benefit from thinking about employee wellbeing, commenting:

“Fulfilling our responsibilities at work doesn’t mean we stop being human. The concept of employee wellbeing is rightly gaining momentum and the stigma that may have been there before around accessing support is being broken down. After all, happy and well employees are generally more productive and effective ones.”

John Bridge OBE DL, chief executive of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, added: “People are critical to a business’s success and it is imperative, when it is difficult to attract key people, that we focus on the welfare of our team. This is a unique opportunity to consider your employees well-being and actions you need to take to protect your valuable resource.”

The business brunch will be taking place between 9.30am and 12.30pm at the conference Centre, opposite the Gog Magog Golf Club in Shelford Bottom. The Centre is adjacent to the Babraham Road park-and-ride.

Members are invited to secure their place for £17 (plus VAT) by clicking on the event when logged in at the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce or by calling 01223 237414. Non-members are £24 (plus VAT) via Bren Coleman on 01223 209811 or email: b.coleman@cambsscci.co.uk.