Aberdeen cHeRries Conference tackles employee wellbeing amid transitions

Press and Journal

25-04-2025

In today's fast-paced world, change is an inevitable part of any organisation's journey.
Whether it's adapting to market demands, restructuring teams or implementing new technologies, periods of change can be challenging for staff members or employees.
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Prioritising their wellbeing in the workplace is essential while organisations navigate these transitions.
Ensuring they feel supported not only drives engagement and productivity but also fosters resilience for the long-term.
Creating an environment that promotes employees' wellbeing will be the focus of employee benefits consultants, Mattioli Woods, as they lead a session at this year's cHeRries Conference.
Mattioli Woods will have three speakers at their session called Awareness to Action. One of them is Ed Watling, the company's head of health and wellbeing benefits. Ed will cover men's health in his talk.
He explained: 'If you have happy, healthy workers then they are more productive.
'They'll be better able to deal with change in whatever format that takes going forward. They will be more resilient when things go wrong in one way or another.
'So looking after your employees is the way of laying down a good foundation for everything else that goes on top.'
Joanne Aitken, a Mattioli Woods' employee benefits consultant, will also be on hand to talk about menopause.
She pointed out: 'Some of the statistics around menopause are quite staggering with 10% of women saying they'll leave their job in 2025 because they feel there's just not enough support out there.
'Mental health is now the leading cause of long-term workplace absence.
'We need to raise awareness so employers and employees themselves can be more comfortable talking openly about these issues. Then look at the workplace strategies in place and take that step further to provide menopause support.'
Ed said: 'What we're going to bring out is what clients should be doing next in terms of action.
'We'll also try to build in some of our own experience as a business from talking to clients and what we do as a business ourselves.
'We've got Frances Blackburn, one of our HR partners down in Leicester, involved to give some real-life examples of things that can be done. It's not one-size-fits-all. But by looking at what other companies are doing, you can perhaps see what can fit to your strategy.'
Joanne noted: 'A lot of employers may very well have support through built and embedded added value services through various benefits that they already have.
'So for them, it's just about better communicating what they currently have.'
Both Ed and Joanne encourage HR professionals and industry leaders to attend in order to connect with like-minded peers in Aberdeen.
Ed said: 'It's an ideal opportunity to network. A lot of the attendees know each other so it's a great time to catch up, share stories and ideas.
'I think people have found the conference really useful in terms of gaining knowledge and an understanding of what other businesses are doing.'
Read more: cHeRries conference returns to Aberdeen with a focus on how to adapt and thrive