CONTEXT 183 : MARCH 2025 25 WELLBEING and HERITAGE environment and subsequently towards larger sustainability goals. This might also have its drawbacks. In a sector where staff are often passionate and deeply invested in the work they do, it can be difficult to keep a sense of healthy detachment when it comes to outcomes, such as witnessing the decline, damage or demolition of heritage assets due to neglect, funding issues, development pressures or other external threats. Such situations can be highly disappointing, leaving us feeling a sense of loss and affecting our sense of motivation. As we become increasingly aware of the need to take practical steps towards a more sustainable future, it can be challenging to balance competing needs, such as the desire for new interventions and approaches to address sustainability goals, while preserving character and significance. This can be further compounded when new materials and methods are proposed requiring staff to continually remain up to date with new technological advances in the sector, often requiring further CPD and training, in order to make informed recommendations and appropriate specifications. Other factors that impact employee wellbeing in the heritage sector might include the demands of travel to and from work, or to sites, and the physical conditions of working on certain sites, including exposure to uncomfortable and potentially hazardous environments, such as dilapidated buildings and remote sites. Other considerations might include concerns over financial security, particularly for those who are self-employed, or working in roles that are reliant on short-term contacts, external funding and grants. What is the answer? This is a highly complex and nuanced topic and, as with buildings, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Every employee is different, and their individual situations and needs will vary. However, it is evident that poor wellbeing and a lack of good mental health can result in significant costs, not solely for individuals but also for organisations, regardless of the sector. It is in the interests of employers, as well as employees, to prioritise this issue and develop effective strategies. While organisations may well feel that they are taking necessary steps to address this, the experience of employees may be radically different. A recent 2024 study of workplace mental health trends found that 65 per cent of employees did not feel that their employer did enough to support their mental health and wellbeing at work.1⁵ As a response to concerns raised by its members in a previous IHBC Council meeting, the institute has decided to launch a heritage staff wellbeing survey to collect data on the general wellbeing of staff across the sector. The aim is to better understand the current picture and highlight areas where more work might be needed. It is hoped that this might point towards further opportunities to work with relevant partners and stakeholders to raise awareness, and to better support our members across the sector. It will take the form of an anonymous survey of 35 questions, exploring areas such as workplace wellbeing, work satisfaction, workplace relationships, and career support and progression. The survey is designed to be quick to complete, with all questions optional. We would like to invite all of you to take part in the Heritage Sector Staff Wellbeing Survey, which will launch on 1 March 2025 and continue until 9.00 am on 1 April. Those interested in taking part can find the survey at www.ihbc. org.uk. We will be discussing the survey in greater detail at the IHBC Council meeting on 24 March at the Charterhouse in London. Those who feel that they might benefit from further support may find it helpful to contact their GP or an organisation which can offer support, such as CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably, www.thecalmzone.net, phone 0800 58 58 58); Mind (www.mind.org.uk, phone 0300 123 3393); Rethink Mental Illness (phone 0300 5000 927); Samaritans (www.samaritans. org, phone 116 123); and Shout (text SHOUT to 85258). Angharad Hart is consultant education and application support officer with the IHBC, and a coach and heritage consultant. 1 CEBR (2024) The heritage sector in England and its impact on the economy: an updated report for Historic England; Heritage Alliance (2024) On the brink: heritage in the cost of living crisis. ² Deloitte (2024) Mental health and employers: the case for employers to invest in supporting working parents and a mentally healthy workplace. ³ People Insight Workplace mental health trends 2024, https://info. koahealth.com/executive-summary-2024-workplace-mental-wellbeingtrends. ⁴ Great Place To Work, The State of Employee Wellbeing in the Workplace, 2024. ⁵ People Insight (2024) Op. cit. ⁶ Aked, J., Marks, N., Cordon, C., Thompson, S. (2008) Five ways to wellbeing: a report presented to the Foresight Project on communicating the evidence base for improving people’s well-being (New Economics Foundation). ⁷ Huppert, F. (2008) Psychological well-being: evidence regarding its causes and its consequences (London: Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project 2008) in Aked et al., op. cit. ⁸ Historic Houses (2022) New problems need new solutions: why our places matter. ⁹ People Insight (2024) Op. cit. 1⁰ Great Place To Work, The State of Employee Wellbeing in the Workplace, 2024. 11 Deloitte (2024) Mental health and employers: the case for employers to invest in supporting working parents and a mentally healthy workplace. 1² World Health Organisation, International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11), https://icd.who.int/en 1³ Deloitte (2024) Op. cit. 1⁴ List of symptoms from Aspire Heritage. 1⁵ People Insight (2025) Op. cit.
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