A company providing wellbeing consultancy services to Manchester businesses is set to grow following a raft of high-profile client wins.
Mander Wellbeing, which launched 12 months ago, now counts Booking.com, Brabners, JLL, Allied London, Smooth Radio, Heart Radio and Analyses Mason among its client base.
Maria Mander, a former PA to Manchester business leaders, established her company after spotting a gap in the market for supporting businesses with wellbeing in the workplace.
READ MORE: {}
“I attended a lot of events around Manchester and realised the shift had gone from health and safety to looking after the wellbeing of employees,” she explained.
“Businesses are really embracing things like mindfulness, they are seeing it as a really great tool for employees to have to help them relieve stress and manage their wellbeing in the day-to-day job.”
Ms Mander said investing in wellbeing is “vital” for brand image to attract new talent.
She said: “Potential employees want to feel valued and know that you are going to invest in their wellbeing.
“A healthy workforce will drive business success and ultimately increase bottom line profit.”
Most Read
Ms Mander helps businesses by “approaching wellness as a whole”, she explains.
“A lot of people separate mental and physical wellbeing but it’s very much intertwined, so it’s really important you have a real, whole-organisation approach that isn’t a one size fits all.
“You come across a lot of our organisations that say ‘oh, we’ve put a yoga class on’ but that’s only targeting 10 to 12 employees, not everybody wants to put their leggings on and do a downward dog in front of their colleagues.
“It’s looking at it as a whole, what do people want within the organisation and what fits with your culture, so strategy needs to cover mental and physical wellbeing, financial wellbeing is very important as well as the environment you’re working in.”
Mander Wellbeing works predominantly in Manchester but has worked with clients in Leeds, Liverpool and Wrexham, she said.
Maria Mander, who said has suffered from anxiety, is currently mentored by Manchester entrepreneur Vikas Shah MBE.
To develop her business skills, Ms Mander also joined the three-month NatWest Accelerator Programme for Entrepreneurs and received training from The Business Growth Hub.
Don’t miss
Ms Mander is set to officially launch WellHome, which supports people with their wellbeing at home, next week on social media, she said.
She said: “There’s a demand out there, because people are so busy if they’ve got both partners working or they’ve got children and they just don’t have time to sort things out at home.
“It can be quite stressful, so it’s like having a home concierge service to help them sort out the home, sort out bills and things like that.”