Responsible business network Business in the Community Northern Ireland (BITCNI), in partnership with wellbeing brand Elemis and local engineering company, Hutchinson, hosted a half-day conference to inspire employers to network and explore the challenges and opportunities facing their business in creating a positive and healthy workplace.
The ‘Healthy Working Lives’ conference, which took place at the Galgorm Resort in Ballymena and was hosted by BBC Health Correspondent Marie-Louise Connolly, and featured a host of expert speakers, best-practice examples, alongside case studies and peer learning to help local employers prepare for the future.
Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt stressed how valuable business is in helping to raise awareness and address wellbeing concerns at early stages with employees, and commended Business in the Community for its work in this area. He said: “Workplaces have significant potential to improve health and wellbeing, this is good for employees, good for businesses and in turn good for our wider population and economy.
“Working together to enable and support people to lead long, healthy and active lives is at the heart of the Northern Ireland Executive’s public health strategic framework, Making Life Better, and that ethos is reflected by the companies engaged in today’s event who have committed to supporting employee wellbeing in the workplace.
“I am sure that the networking and learning from this conference will contribute to ensuring sustainable change for employee health into the future.”
Lisa McIlvenna, Deputy Managing Director of Business in the Community, said: “Without people, businesses don’t exist; without healthy people, businesses can struggle to survive. As the health of many people declines and health services are in more demand than ever, the business case for investing in the health of employees is more important than ever. I am very pleased that our Healthy Working Lives conference tackled some of the big issues on the minds of individuals and employers, and urge any business that needs support to get in touch with us.”
To find out more about how Business in the Community can support your organisation, visit www.bitcni.org.uk.