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I am super excited to announce that I will be speaking at the Safety and Health Expo on 17 May 2022 at London ExCeL. Why am I so excited? Although I have given presentations at many health and safety related events and conferences, this is the first time my presentation, entitled Hypnotherapy and Workplace Wellbeing, actually has ‘hypnotherapy’ in the title.
Hypnotherapy and Workplace Wellbeing
I will be speaking about how hypnotherapy approaches can be used to increase workplace wellbeing. My presentation starts by clarifying the facts and fiction of hypnosis and hypnotherapy. I will then go on to explore some of the powerful mind and body benefits of hypnotherapy in the workplace, supported by key research.
From a hypnotherapy perspective, much can be done to support mental and physical health in the workplace. Whilst it is true that in recent years, much has been done to develop a health and wellbeing agenda, a health and wellbeing at work survey conducted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and SimplyHealth, in 2021, the survey indicated that 27% of organisations are still more ‘reactive’ than ‘proactive’ and only 67% of managers consider wellbeing important.
The report also indicated that mental health is the most common focus of health and wellbeing activity, with aspects such as stress management, work-life balance, lifestyle choices and physical health all receiving attention. However, whilst eye tests were commonly provided as a wellbeing initiative (67% of organisations surveyed), just 15% offered access to a complementary therapy. This was the least provided out of all health promotion initiatives, with physical health such as yoga classes and the offers of fitness trackers being much more likely to be offered.
It would seem that the reactive response to mental health is still more common, with a gradual increase in access to talking therapy rising from 56% in 2016 to 74% in 2021. This is supported by the findings that stress continues to be one of the most significant causes of both short and long-term absence from work, with a staggering 91% of survey respondents reporting stress-related absence in the last year in organisations with over 250 employees (79% in smaller companies). In addition, 21% considered their organisation was ineffective at addressing stress.
Can hypnotherapy help with wellbeing in the workplace?
So, can hypnotherapy help? Absolutely! It offers both proactive and reactive measures that can be taught, easily and effectively to employees, so that they are empowered in their own mental and physical health self-care. My presentation will outline a range of approaches than can be adopted organisation-wide, and which can be used as a standalone wellbeing strategy or alongside existing approaches.
The Safety and Health Expo is a Safety and Health Practitioner event, and is one of five themes at the show. The Safety and Health Expo is the UK’s biggest health and safety event and has around 20,000 visitors, mainly health and safety, occupational health and risk management professionals who are keen to explore the latest technology and gain information from significant figures in the industry.
The other co-located events include FIREX International, providing a global centre of excellence for fire safety information, together with security and alarms being the key focus of IFSEC International. The other two events are the Facilities Show, with a focus on smarter and more efficient solutions for the workplace and Intelligent Building Europe, which gives you the opportunity to find out more about smart building technology.
Interestingly, many of the event speakers have messages that will resonate with hypnotherapy practitioners and those interested in hypnosis. One of the other speakers is Louis Theroux, the documentary-maker, producer and writer, who will be talking about his diverse TV experience, and his investigations which have included alcohol addiction, dementia care and a look into American psychiatric treatment centres.
(Photo credit: radiotimes.com)
Another speaker is Mandy Hickson, who is one of the first female pilots to serve in a Tornado GR4 squadron. She will talk about how to define and action specific goals in high-pressure situations. Bruce Durham, Director of Human Performance at Huddle Culture also has a fascinating presentation, ‘Practical Body Language Awareness’. He has taught body language awareness for over 15 years and certainly seems popular, reporting a social media following of over 200,000 and in excess of 10 million views of his videos, helping people to better connect and communicate with each other.
Other interesting speakers include Fred Streefland, a Cyber Security Director, and Heather Beach, who has studied both Applied Positive Psychology and Relational Organisation Gestalt. She will be talking about the cultural approach to wellbeing. Also on the psychology theme, is Hugo Metcalf, Chief Psychologist at The Happy Mind Tribe. It will be interesting to hear from a multiple world record holder how we can recognise and respond to mental health crises. For those interested in specific topics, Mike Oliver, Workplace Sleep Ambassador Programme Manager at The Sleep Charity will be exploring sleep issues and the impact of the lack of good sleep.
In addition to a fascinating range of speakers there are many health-related exhibitors, from 39 different countries around the world, making it truly an international event!
Contact Dr Kate Beaven-Marks about the Safety & Health Expo
I would be delighted to hear from you if you managed to join me on 17 May 2022 in the Keynote Theatre (2.15pm-2.45pm). If you missed my session and would like to find out more about my presentation, then do get in contact.
We hope you enjoyed this blog on wellbeing in the workplace and the Safety and Health Expo 2022. If you have any questions about this topic or anything else for that matter, do please get in touch, because we’re always happy to help!
– written by Dr Kate Beaven-Marks
(HypnoTC Director)
