Put wellbeing at the forefront of business, says Olympic champion

Putting wellbeing at the forefront of business is key, says Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington. 

The comments come ahead of the Wellbeing Risk: Setting The Industry Standard event which is being held in London on September 21 and where she will be a guest speaker. 

Organised by the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) in partnership with Mott MacDonald and International SOS, the event aims to make a positive impact on wellbeing risk. 

Event organisers want to better understand the challenges the engineering and consulting industry are currently facing – and help develop an industry charter that can be used to reduce harm.

Former British swimmer Adlington competed in four Olympic finals, over two games, winning two gold and two bronze medals in Beijing and London respectively.

In the decade since her retirement from swimming, she has been busy in the world of business - setting up Becky Adlington’s SwimStars which teaches more than 8,500 children to swim each week and Becky Adlington Training, which aims to get more accredited teachers poolside with the right qualifications.

But the mum-of-two, who recently announced she was expecting her third child, has also worked hard to remove the stigma around mental health, after suffering from severe anxiety herself.

She will be sharing her story and personal experiences at the event. 

“We have to recognize that we need to take a day out of normal working life to do something like this”, she said. “We have to put it to the forefont. 

“If we don’t come to days like this, things will never improve, things will never change, things will never get there.”

When it comes to mental health, she said it is so important to normalize it. 

“Own that conversation,” she added. “Why would we go into work one day and say ‘I feel really tired’ or ‘I’ve got a cold coming’ but not say ‘I feel anxious’. It’s about normalizing it and not being afraid to talk about.”

Those attending the interactive event will be part of the creation of a wellbeing standard for the consultancy industry and have the opportunity to connect with and learn from experts.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” she added. “Events like this are really inspirational, really motivating and really calming. 

“You’ll come away with different tools, different tips, different things you can slowly take on board. 

“It isn’t something where the next day everyone will focus on their wellbeing and mental health, that’s not realistic. It’s about finding those little things that can then fit into people’s lives and bring them to the forefront. 

“I’d encourage anyone to attend, no matter what your walk of life is. It doesn’t matter what your background is, we all face different challenges, different feelings and different emotions. 

“There will be something on the day, from a workshop or a talk, that really sticks with you. That’s what these days are for, there’s something for everyone.”

Other guest speakers at the event include Dr Rachel Lewis, occupational psychologist at Affinity Health at Work and Dr Jonathan O’Keefe, chief medical officer at Schlumberger. 

The Wellbeing Risk event takes place from 10am-4pm on September 21 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, Great Queen Street, London.

Please note that invites are limited to two participants per organisation for capacity purposes.

Click here to register for the event.