What makes a good day at work?  Perhaps a day when you can easily see the wood for the trees?  Or maybe a day when you do not forget something important to your business or relationships? It could even be a day when you are not reaching for the indigestion remedy or some pain relief.

Stress is a part of everyday life and from time to time we all need that added energy burst created by stress hormones that leads to creativity and innovation.  But too much stress has a toxic effect on our wellbeing leading to a wide range of physical and mental ill health symptoms.

In addition to hard work, creativity and innovation are the things that lead to a successful business.  Yet stress has become the number one cause of prolonged sickness absence from the workplace, averaging 30 days. There are few small businesses that can sustain the unplanned absence of its leader for such a long period due to ill health.

Most people do not recognise the symptoms of excessive stress yet research shows that some 75% of GP visits are for symptoms directly relating a surfeit of stress in our lives.

Primarily we are all responsible for our own wellbeing and for those who employ staff there is the added responsibility for their wellbeing too.

Haslemere Chamber of Trade and Commerce will be presenting an evening entitled Wellbeing@Work on 22 February  at Holy Cross Hospital. The evening will focus on your individual wellbeing with hints, tips and strategies to help you optimise your welfare and hence that of your business. For further details and to book your seat(s), please click HERE

Brenda Roper is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Personnel & Development and has a Masters Degree in Employment Law.  Having retired from her senior post at ACAS she now provides support to SMEs in addition to a wide range of local authorities and larger businesses.