UK ECEC provider signs Mindful Business Charter as workforce issues bite

The UK branch of international early childhood education and care (ECEC) provider Bright Horizons has signed on to the Mindful Business Charter (MBC), which sees companies commit to healthier ways of working.

As in Australia, the UK ECEC sector is facing immense challenges in having sufficient staff to hand to meet demand from families, and providers are taking several steps to attract and retain staff. 

In signing the MBC, Bright Horizons pledged its commitment to abide by a set of principles centered on openness and respect for each other, improved communication, respect for working hours, and considerate delegation of tasks.

The MBC was launched by Barclays and law firms Pinsent Masons and Addleshaw Goddard in 2018 to bring organisations together to reach a shared agenda for mental health and wellbeing.

When organisations and individuals operate within the MBC, they are challenged to ‘rehumanise’ the workplace, and create spaces where there is an open and respectful culture, where coworkers work and interact with one another in a thoughtful and mindful way. The MBC aims to eliminate unnecessary stress, as far as possible, so that staff can work more effectively and healthily.

“We are proud to announce we have joined the MBC,” said Bright Horizons’ HR director Janine Leightley. 

“The charter is designed to promote more effective, less stressful and healthier work environments. We are the first employer within the early years to join the charter, furthering our mission to drive wellbeing within the sector.”

MBC Executive Director Richard Martin said he was “thrilled” to be formally welcoming Bright Horizons as a signatory. 

“At its heart, MBC is a community of employers coming together to share ideas, learning and challenges, knowing that together we will make so much more of a difference than if we were working alone,” he said.

To learn more about the MBC, please see here.