RESILIENCE, recovery and reputation will be at the centre of a conference on the link between staff mental health and productive business.

The Swindon Mindful Employer Network will bring employers together for its 2010 conference at the Swindon Marriott hotel on Monday, April 19 and be based around the title Promoting Healthier Businesses.

NHS Swindon’s acting chief executive Heather Mitchell said: “It has been proven that building positive attitudes and cultures, and having an understanding of mental health issues at work, can impact on business performance.

“Success in the workplace results from taking care of your staff in such a way that they in turn take care of your business.

“Employers need to ensure that there is a workplace culture that supports people in reaching their full potential.”

Founded in 2008 by the Richmond Fellowship Wiltshire and funded by NHS Swindon, the network is part of a national initiative to increase awareness of mental health at work.

It meets every few months and provides support for businesses in recruiting and retaining staff.

The conference is designed to demonstrate how ensuring staff well-being can create a business culture that can improve performance. The keynote speech will be delivered by Dame Carol Black, national director for Health and Work.

Her review of the health of Britain’s working age population called Working for a Healthier Tomorrow is behind the new government agenda for the workplace.

Dame Carol said: “Not only is it our duty to safeguard the health and wellbeing of people of working age to enable them and their families to flourish, it is vital to the success of businesses and to the UK economy.

“I understand that the network has been a great success in the town and I look forward to learning more about this important initiative.”

Dame Carol will be joined by GP and occupational health expert Dr Liz Miller, who appeared in the Stephen Fry documentary The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive.

Another speaker will be Jonathan Naess, director of Stand to Reason, a national charity that promotes a positive attitude to mental health problems. He said: “Right now one in six employees in the UK are suffering some kind of mental illness. This is blighting the lives of many individuals and hurting families and communities.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for local organisations to learn more about this increasingly essential topic and help people and businesses become a lot healthier.”

For more information about Swindon Mindful Employer visit www.mindfulemployer.net.