Make UK partners with Working Minds campaign
Make UK has joined the Working Minds campaign as an official partner to raise awareness of how to prevent work-related stress and encourage good mental health in manufacturing.
Research by the manufacturers’ organisation, has revealed that businesses which prioritise the wellbeing of their employees see a dramatic reduction in absenteeism, retain their staff for longer and see a boost in productivity.
Jamie Cater, Senior Policy Manager at Make UK, the manufacturers organisation said: “Britain’s manufacturers have come on in leaps and bounds in terms of the importance they give to the wellbeing and mental health of their employees.
“Our latest survey showed that those companies which had put in place good and strong wellbeing programmes were being rewarded with less absenteeism, higher productivity and had staff who stayed with the company for much longer. This payback on investment in people is now embedded in manufacturing companies. Without doubt the pandemic accelerated the need to provide good programmes to promote wellbeing at a time workers were under unprecedented pressures.”
Alison Wellens, interim head of Health and Work Branch at HSE, says: “We’re delighted to have our new campaign partners on board to champion Working Minds in manufacturing. They will play an important role in sharing key information as well as provide essential insight into the unique stressors experienced by people working in the industry as we continue to evolve our campaign.
“We are calling for a culture change across Britain’s workplaces where managing stress and talking about how people are coping is as routine as managing workplace safety. A recent Deloitte report estimates the total annual cost of poor mental health to employers has increased by 25% since 2019. Adding up to around £53-56 billion between 2020-21.
To mark Mental Health Awareness Week (9 – 15 May 2022) Make UK has launched a wellbeing podcast series. In this exclusive series of podcasts, former BBC Business Editor Jonty Bloom interviews companies and experts on the importance of mental health and to explore examples of best practice, from large organisations to SMEs.
Jamie added: “Going forwards, it is clear that wellbeing and mental health remains a key issue and is now a part of the majority of business plans for our member companies and we hope this podcast series will give companies some new ideas and inspire them to continue on this vital journey to deliver the very best staff wellbeing.”
Find out more about the series of six podcasts on the importance of mental health.
Working Minds is aimed specifically at supporting small businesses by providing employers and workers with easy to implement advice, including simple steps based on risk assessment to Reach out, Recognise, Respond, Reflect, and make it Routine.
More about Make UK
Make UK, the manufacturers’ organisation, is the representative voice of UK manufacturing, with offices in London, Brussels, every English region and Wales.
Collectively they represent 20,000 companies of all sizes, from start-ups to multinationals, across engineering, manufacturing, technology and the wider industrial sector. They directly represent over 5,000 businesses who are members of Make UK. Everything they do – from providing essential business support and training to championing manufacturing industry in the UK and the EU – is designed to help British manufacturers compete, innovate and grow.
From HR and employment law, health and safety to environmental and productivity improvement, their advice, expertise and influence enables businesses to remain safe, compliant and future-focused.
