Welcome to CA Wellbeing
Welcome to CA Wellbeing, a place for ICAS Students and Members to learn more about wellbeing-related topics, with debate and ideas, and links to information and assistance.
From studying for CA exams, to dealing with the pressures of the workplace and the stresses of modern life, at times we have all had to deal with negative impacts upon our physical and mental wellbeing.
Whilst it wasn’t always the case, the topic of wellbeing is one that is now being taken seriously across the business world, and is often considered by many organisations to be as important as financial profitability. Indeed, the two are inextricably linked: a healthier, happier workforce will tend to be a more productive workforce.
In fact, research suggests that poor mental health alone costs employers in the UK up to £45 billion a year, and mental health problems are the biggest cause of sickness absence.
However, the concept of mental fitness shouldn’t only be something we consider when an individual is going through tough times. Ideally it would be built into our regular routines. Just as sports teams that take care of their physical fitness perform better throughout the season, companies that promote positive mental fitness can also gain huge benefits, including better-performing staff.
Of course, there’s more to this and there are wider issues to be considered than company performance and profits. Wellbeing concerns affect us as individuals and can be detrimental to our family and social lives too.
A positive conversation
For many people who are struggling to cope or dealing with difficult issues, the act of engaging in conversations can be hugely beneficial. These conversations might be with friends or family, with employers or medical professionals.
At ICAS we also want to be able to play a part in these conversations and CA Wellbeing will provide a space in which voices can be heard and ideas can be openly shared.
We want to start new conversations around issues that might once have been ignored in the professional sphere, to normalise them, further removing stigma and promoting their importance.
This will be a place in which we speak up on behalf of the wellbeing of our Students and Members, supporting and advancing an important topic that’s fundamental to the health of individuals, organisations, our profession and society as a whole.
Wellbeing matters
In the Wellbeing matters section, you’ll find a range of features, webinars, podcasts and courses that cover many areas from mental to physical health, with voices and opinions from inside the profession and out.
Additional resources
In our Additional resources section, you’ll find links to a range of information and services offered by health services, charities and other organisations, designed to help you with topics from mental health to eating well and coping with bereavement.
Join the conversation
CA Wellbeing is part of a conversation and so we’d be keen to hear from you. If you have a suggestion for a topic we can cover, if there’s something you want to know more about, or if you’d like to share your own experiences, then please get in touch with us at members@icas.com.
Bruce Cartwright CA
Chief Executive
