Most successful businesses want to grow but what do they mean? Greater size and/or number of sites, higher output, income and/or profit, larger headcount or a more prominent media profile? Many see internal investment as the panacea to growth but that also means different things to different businesses – for manufacturing businesses, for example, it could mean investment in more up to date machinery. Other businesses may find themselves drawn to artificial intelligence or other technology such as interactive apps. However, one investment channel that is often overlooked as a vehicle for growth is the human one.
The Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce has recently launched its ‘Growth through People’ campaign. This is a 4 week series of free events exploring how business can boost productivity and achieve real growth through improved leadership and people management skills.
Ramez Moussa (Partner) and Helena Morrissey (Senior Associate) of our Birmingham Labour & Employment team are working closely with the GBCC on this initiative and are hosting and participating in 2 of the events taking place across the West Midlands during the the campaign.
The first event is part of week 1, which will focus on ‘Growth Through Responsible Leadership’. The event itself, which takes place at our Birmingham office on Thursday 1 March from noon – 2 p.m., is entitled ‘How to Build a Resilient Workforce’ (in the sense of resilient rather than obstructive, that is) and will feature a panel of experts in the field of workplace wellbeing:
Sean Russel, Director, West Midlands Combined Authority Mental Health Commission
Helen Wadley, CEO, Birmingham Mind; and
Giorgia Molinari, Corporate Partnership Manager, Autistica
This panel event promises to provide a fascinating insight into how businesses can put strategies in place to support, engage and retain staff, in particular those suffering from mental health or behavioural issues.
The second event takes place as part of the ‘Growth though Workplace Environment week’ which is the third week of the campaign. This interactive breakfast workshop – ‘Boosting Productivity through Employee Engagement’ – takes place from 7:30 – 9:45 a.m. on Thursday 15 March (also at our Birmingham office) and will focus on the key ‘enablers’ to increased employee engagement. Contrary to popular opinion, and though it probably never hurts, a decent salary is not the only thing that will engage staff and encourage productivity. Other factors such as flexibility, empowering leadership and even organisational integrity play an equally key role in motivating and retaining staff. Ramez and Helena are presenting this event in conjunction with Valuing You – a ‘people’ consultancy which focuses on positive change management and problem solving.
We are delighted to be working with the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce on such a high profile series of events. It is particularly exciting to be involved with and hosting two of them at our Birmingham office, and to be partnering with some real ‘big-hitters’ in the world of mental health and inclusivity.
You are also invited to contact Ramez Moussa or Helena Morrissey if you would like to discuss either of the events or the campaign in general.