Author Bio ▼

Heather Beach is Founder and Managing Director of The Healthy Work Company and has been running businesses in health and safety for over 20 years. Having run Barbour, SHP and Safety and Health Expo, she is now running her own business. The Healthy Work Company provides solutions which drive the wellbeing agenda to enable thriving in the workplace at all levels. Offering more than simply training, it delivers strategic support for your wellbeing programme. "We are driving the mental health agenda towards how human beings thrive in life – often through work, not in spite of it!" Heather can be reached on [email protected].
November 30, 2020

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Women in Health & Safety update

Heather Beach, Founder of the Health Work Company and Women in Health & Safety committee member, provides an update on the committee’s activities over the last few months and looks ahead to some upcoming events.

“A safe and happy hello to you all.

“I was profoundly surprised to see the IOSH report showing the number of females in the profession as only 21%, because my daily interactions would indicate that there are so many more of us than that – and an enormous force for positive change. Indeed, the impact may be measured through the fact that they represent just under 50% of the nominees for the SHP Awards! You can vote for your Most Influential person in health & safety, here.

COVID-19 has represented a huge strain on health & safety professionals (and a rise in appreciation I hope!). At the same time our Chair, Dr. Judith Grant has been going through her own suffering, from long-COVID, and at the Healthy Work Company, we have been busy constantly adapting the business at speed to continue to serve the evolving and urgent wellbeing needs of organisations and individuals.

Women in Health & Safety was set up as a means of providing support and connection through physical events, but it will come as no surprise that there have been none of those since very early this year. It is a thriving network of people who support gender equality and want to see women flourish in our profession. We connect in-person and online. Our get-togethers are free to attend and open to all, and we actively encourage both men and women to join us.”

However, WIHS has not been entirely silent..!

“We have held two WIHS “virtual cuppa” events – which have just allowed people to be heard and acknowledged and feel less alone! At Healthy Work, we set up a Facebook group during the first lockdown for support – and it seems to be made up of an awful lot of WIHS members! Do join us here.

“With the future of events for at least the next few months looking likely to be virtual, we would like to hear from you (link to survey see below) as to what you would most like to see and how you would like to get involved with the network for the short-term. The barriers to holding an event just got a lot lower – you don’t need a venue after all!

“The first step will be a committee meeting – so we will convene that online in January but will take the feedback from this survey to that meeting.”

“You have all worked so hard over the last ninr months. On the plus side, I bet your families and friends now understand and appreciate what you do!”

What’s coming up?

“In the meantime here are a couple of upcoming virtual events you might be interested in.”

SHP Webinar: Equality at work and the role women’s health plays in it
Wednesday 2 December 2020, 11:00 – 12:00 GMT

Discussing: Why gender inclusion is beneficial for businesses commercially; Why businesses need to provide basic access to healthcare for women; Steps businesses can take in order to support women’s differing health needs; The link between mental health and women’s health events.

An interview with Dr. Judith Grant, Head of Wellbeing at Mace Group
Thursday 17 December 2020, 14:00 – 15:00 GMT

Heather Beach interviews Judith to talk about the self-awareness she has gained in transitioning through her COVID ordeal. Taking a look at the role of perfectionism, guilt and shame in undermining our mental health, what we can learn about ourselves and how to transform our lives when we deal with adversity.

This article was originally published on The Healthy Work Company website.


Burnout and perfectionism podcast

Listen to Heather’s chat with Stacy Thomson, Award Winning Mental Health Nurse & Cognitive Behavioural Coach, to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.

Stacy has worked alongside organisations, executives and leaders in roles within a wide range of fields.

Subscribe and tune in the Safety & Health Podcast to discover the latest issues facing the health and safety profession, and stay on-top of the developments affecting your role, from working at height, lone working and common workplace hazards, to safety culture, behaviours, occupational health and mental health and wellbeing.

Join the conversation today!

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