SME health and wellbeing campaign launched

A new campaign addressing the health and wellbeing of UK small business owners has been set up this week by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

The campaign has been launched in response to a rise in incidents of health and mental health conditions across the UK’s workforce – including business owners and the self-employed.

The annual bill for sickness absence already sits at £29 billion across the UK, while research from FSB’s medical and health advice service alone shows that the number of small businesses seeking mental health advice has doubled in the last five years.

Alongside Public Health England and other organisations, such as the mental health charity, Mind, FSB has developed the guide: ‘Wellbeing in Small Business: a short guide’.

The aim is to help small business owners and the self-employed with looking at how they can adopt to improve mental health and wellbeing.

This includes:

• How to start conversations about stress
• Mental health and wellbeing
• Tackling loneliness
• Managing pressures including through flexible working arrangements
• Networking
• ‘In-work’ fitness groups
• Improving the physical environment.

Mike Cherry, FSB National Chairman, commented, “Owning and running a business can be hugely rewarding. However, it brings with it demands, responsibilities and risks that can bring personal pressures that can impact a person’s health and wellbeing.”

“Wellbeing can help increase our productivity, improve our performance and reduce absenteeism. There is a clear business case, however, the benefits are felt just as much in our health as individuals, but also by our communities and the wider economy.”

He added, “There’s never going to be a ‘one size fits all’ approach, and not every idea will be suitable for every business. We are, however, seeing some real innovation from small business owners for themselves and their teams. It is important that small business owners find the ideas that work for their business, themselves and their staff.”

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