BUSINESSES across the region can get a helping hand boosting employees’ mental health.
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has welcomed Bobby Birdi as Thrive at Work Engagement Manager.
He joins from the West Midland Reserve Forces and Cadets Association (RFCA) and will lead a team promoting WMCA’s Thrive at Work Wellbeing Programme.
This is a fully-funded programme which offers a free, structured programme to support businesses across the Midlands with employee health and wellbeing, while boosting their bottom line and highlighting their credentials as considerate employers.
It is one of the programmes offered to employers as part of the Mental Health and Productivity Pilot, funded by Midlands Engine, of which WMCA is a partner organisation.
As part of his role, Bobby will be looking to connect with harder-to-reach industries and communities, as well as smaller businesses who may not already have a lot of provision for mental health and wellbeing.
Bobby said: “Mental health issues resulting in lost productivity come at a huge cost to businesses, with reports estimating that it costs companies across the Midlands £12.6 billion per year.
“I will be working with the team to make businesses aware of the scale of the impact and showing how they can not only support their employees, but help boost productivity and, in turn, their bottom line.
“Thrive at Work is a fantastic fully-funded programme which provides a toolkit of resources which are backed up by extensive research.”
Tatum Matharu, head of Thrive at WMCA, said: “It is fantastic to welcome Bobby to WMCA to lead our Thrive at Work engagement team.
“He has some excellent industry contacts so is perfectly placed to support us in spreading the word about the programme.
“Workplace wellbeing is hugely important and we want to help employers to support their workforce while helping to reduce lost productivity across the region.”
Email [email protected] or call Bobby on 07538 263911 for more information.
