As this year’s gold sponsor of the Suffolk Chamber Prestige Dinner, MAD-HR decided to choose a significant charity partner, Suffolk Mind, who could in turn, benefit from the event and its audience.

Here, Carole Burman, our founder and managing director, explains why Suffolk Mind has become our charity of choice, and why the work of the organisation resonates in her daily business life.

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“Let me share with you the uncomfortable truth about the world of HR, and about lessons learned from 30 years of experiencing how ‘people manage people’.

The truth?

Well, the truth is pretty unedifying upon reflection.

When I entered the profession in the early 1990s, you wouldn’t have seen a manager giving much due consideration to the mental health and wellbeing of their staff.

On the whole, most leaders in the workplace paid little attention to emotional needs among employees, and instead, considered the role of HR to be predominantly the ‘hire and fire’ function and little else.

What pleases me most about my sector is that we’re now so far from that disappointing approach to human support and welfare.

And indeed, as someone who has now been at the helm of an award-winning HR business in Suffolk for the last 8 years, I can tell you that most bosses, leaders, founders and entrepreneurs do ‘get it’, and do want to positively support their staff’s mental health in every way.

That’s why myself and my fellow director Charlotte Bate are so drawn to the work of Suffolk Mind, and why we find ourselves referencing the charity’s core Emotional Needs framework when we speak to our many clients across various sectors in this region.

Indeed, it’s exactly why we wanted them to be our charity partner for the forthcoming Suffolk Chamber Prestige Dinner.

As sponsors of this event, it was an opportunity for us to introduce a charitable element, or, if you like, a ‘spotlight’ on a cause of such significance for the audience and for our wider community.

We want every person attending the dinner to hear the words of Suffolk Mind and to be reminded how vital it is that those of us in business do all we can to preserve our own wellbeing, and that of our colleagues, co-workers, neighbours, friends and family.

If you will be joining us for this special occasion – which notably includes a keynote speech from none other than Harry Redknapp – we hope you’ll find the occasion to be a sociable and enjoyable one, but also that you’ll take away some timely reminders about caring for your own mental health and needs as we head toward what is certain to be a really challenging period for some.

If you’re unable to join us, do please keep in touch with us to hear about future events in conjunction with Suffolk Mind, and of course, reach for the resources provided by the charity whenever you need them.”

The Suffolk Prestige Dinner takes place on September 23rd. We look forward to seeing many of you there.

[Feature image c/o Canva]