CONTEXT 183 : MARCH 2025 23 WELLBEING and HERITAGE ANGHARAD HART Workplace wellbeing in the heritage sector Concern that many employers do too little to support their employees’ mental health and wellbeing has prompted the IHBC to launch the Heritage Sector Staff Wellbeing Survey. It will come as little surprise to most of us working in the sector that heritage makes a positive contribution to overall wellbeing and that a great variety of benefits can be derived from our connection to the historic environment, whether it is through the places where we live, work or visit. But what about the wellbeing of those working in the heritage sector? Recent figures estimate that the heritage sector contributes around £45 billion gross value added to the UK economy, and that heritage is responsible, directly and indirectly, for the employment of over 500,000 staff, with some 201,000 of those being directly employed by the sector.1 We are reliant on the many committed staff and volunteers who work across the sector in a variety of different roles, contexts and environments, to help identify, maintain and conserve the historic environment. Yet while this is a hugely rewarding sector to work in, it is not without its challenges and pressures. Mental health awareness and staff wellbeing is receiving greater focus. Recent statistics suggest that mental ill-health costs businesses in the UK £51 billion each year,² with work-related stress accounting for over 50 per cent of sick leave recorded in 2024.³ This is a significant issue for organisations, with 53 per cent of UK employees stating that the demands of their jobs are causing them ‘excessive stress’.⁴ What is wellbeing, and how does the wellbeing of staff working in heritage compare with those in other sectors? As the UK’s leading professional body for conservation of the historic environment, the IHBC caters for a broad membership, covering a variety of roles across the public, private and third sectors, as well as education and, more widely, from students through to retirees. The institute recognises the importance of the wellbeing of its members to the operation of the organisation itself, and to the wider historic environment and heritage sector. The New Economics Foundation (NEF) definition states that ‘wellbeing comprises two main elements: feeling good and functioning well’.⁶ A positive experience of life is likely to be characterised by feelings of happiness, contentment, engagement and curiosity. Meanwhile, our ability to function in the world is considered equally important. It is characterised by our ability to experience positive relationships, and to have a degree of control in our own lives and a sense of purpose.⁷ If we look at these factors in relation to the heritage sector, we can see that employee wellbeing might be impacted in these areas in a variety of ways. When we look at the concept of positive relationships in the context of the heritage sector, for example, it is not only our relationships with colleagues or managers that IHBC delegates visiting the home of Alfred Waterhouse during the 2024 Annual School: feedback from the event illustrates the value of networking opportunities like these to wellbeing. (Photo: Jonathan Taylor)
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