FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
International Workplace is equipping small businesses with the tools to champion mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.
‘Blue Monday’ – the third Monday in January each year – is often cited as the most challenging day of the year for the UK workforce. With the festive season over, wintery weather taking its toll, and a long wait for payday, it’s a time when a little extra support from managers can make all the difference.
From this month, International Workplace is delivering the IOSH Managing Occupational Health and Wellbeing certificate course to line managers and supervisors in any sector, in qualifying small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in England, free of charge. The course will equip them with practical tools and techniques to support employee health and wellbeing and will help develop the confidence to have effective conversations about health, manage occupational health risks, and promote a positive workplace culture.
On successful completion of the course and final assessment project, delegates are awarded the IOSH Managing Occupational Health and Wellbeing Certificate.
Free courses places are available until 31 March under a special programme funded by the Department for Work and Pensions, delivered in partnership with Reed Learning. The course is available for self-study online, remotely via virtual classroom, or at one of 12 regional venues across England.
To be eligible for the course you must:
- Work for an SME in England with 2–249 employees
- Be a line manager to at least one employee
- Not have completed the IOSH Managing Occupational Health and Wellbeing course in the last three years
Flexible delivery options
- eLearning (EL): Self-paced online learning (approx. 6 hours)
- Virtual classroom (VC): Live instructor-led sessions delivered via MS Teams (approx. 3.5 hours), supported by eLearning
- Face-to-face (F2F): One-day classroom-based course (approx. 6 hours) delivered at 12 regional venues across England
The initiative forms part of the government’s wider ambition to Keep Britain Working, supporting employers to improve workplace health, wellbeing and productivity.
To find out more and book free course places, visit http://www.keepbritainworking.com.
According to the 2026 UK Facilities Management Market Research Report by askporter, facilities management professionals want clear, verifiable evidence of work being delivered, with teams that can communicate progress in real time. This requires technology that is affordable, intuitive, and quick to adopt.
Yet the report found that:
Over three quarters of FM professionals (76 per cent) experience operational inefficiencies caused by siloed software which results in a lack of real-time visibility.
Communications challenges lead to maintenance issues, with 73 per cent of teams being forced into reactive problem-solving on a weekly basis.
A worrying level of compliance gaps, with 44 per cent of admitting that half or less of their compliance tasks are tracked and automated within their systems.
Closing this gap requires the establishment of transparent and consistent communications using affordable software that gives FM teams the ability to track, evidence and improve their services.
This webinar provides a valuable overview of the main findings of the report by askporter followed by a panel discussion by FM thought leaders on practical, strategic solutions that can help close this communications gap.
To register for the webinar taking place 29 January 2026 at 11:00am click here.
