Bristol will host one of the largest national events focused on mental health in the workplace in May.

It is estimated that nearly 16m hours are lost due to mental health issues, whilst some half a million Brits are believed to suffer stress at work.

At the Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace Summit, being held at We the Curious on 12 May, some of the biggest names in industry and SMEs will share their experiences of effectively supporting mental wellbeing in the workplace. Leading experts in the field of mental health will also give their perspectives and there will be debates around the power of sport in supporting mental wellbeing and how business and education can work together to ensure that young people are adequately prepared for the world of work.

Speakers and panelists include:

• Faye McGuinness, head of workplace wellbeing at Mind;

• Johnde Pury, Assistant Director of Policy atUniversities UK;

• Tony Bickerstaff, Chief Financial Officer at Costain;

• Rebecca Jones, National Partnerships Lead, Sport England;

• Brendan Street, Head of Emotional Wellbeing at Nuffield Health;

• Peter Cheese, Chief Executive, CIPD;

• Dr Wolfgang Seidl, Head of Health Management Consulting EMEA, Mercer Health & Benefits;

• Marc Caulfield, CEO and Co-Founder, Demolish the Wall;

• Philip Dyer, Founder, Healthy Leaders;

• Louise Aston, Wellbeing Director, Business in the Community;

• Nick Fenton-Wells, Team Manager, Bristol Bears.

The Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees said:

“I’m proud that Bristol is the first city to make the Mental Health at Work Commitment, which is linked with the national Thriving at Work Leadership Council, the Department of Work and Pensions, the Department of Health and Social Care, and mental health charity Mind.

“Mental wellbeing is a key focus of the One City approach, with the overarching goal for 2050 being that everyone in Bristol will have the opportunity to live a life in which they are mentally and physically healthy. To achieve our goal, we need a city-wide effort that sees individuals, organisations and sectors across Bristol joining forces to support everyone’s mental health and wellbeing.”

The Summit’s official event partners include: Business in the Community, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, Institute of Directors, the Law Society, PRCA, Bristol Sport and Business West.

Louise Aston, Director of Wellbeing at Business in the Community, one of the event’s official partners said:

“Our research with Mercer Marsh Benefits, shows that two in five employees in the UK will experience poor mental health caused by work. With mental health awareness on the rise, we now need employers to take action and make the fundamental changes to improve the mental health of their employees.

“Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace Summit 2020 will open up this important conversation and allow businesses from across the UK to share best practice for a healthy workplace culture.”

Louise added:

“For those in manager or senior HR roles, I’d encourage you to join us at this exciting event and find out more about how your workplace could benefit from signing up to the Mental Health at Work Commitment.”

The Summit is being sponsored by Mercer Marsh Benefits and organised by JBP Associates. The official media partner is HR Zone, an online publication for the human resources sector.