About me: Alan Bradshaw
Alan Bradshaw, June 21
Hi there and thanks for being interested in the person behind this site!
That's me there on the left of this page. The header picture is of The Kelpies, an amazing sculpture, close to Falkirk, not far from where I live. If you're ever in Scotland you should definitely go and see them.
I first developed this website many years ago not long after I started my career in business psychology in 1996, to provide access to stress management tools, training and resources. I came to psychology comparatively late, returning to uni my early 30s, having had a first career in social work and social care management. I'm still very interested in social issues and am currently a non-executive director (voluntary) and trustee of a residential care facility for people with long-term mental health problems. For seven years, I also served as a trustee of a homelessness charity in Glasgow.
But work-related stress has been my main professional specialty for the past 25 years or so. I still work with large organisations and as a business partner of one of the UK's largest Occupational Health providers, supporting their efforts to prevent and reduce stress at work. I'm a strong believer in prevention and adopting a proactive approach to managing stress risks at work. Much of my career has been dedicated to developing tools, training and consultancy frameworks to help clients with this vital task. It's important work, which I hope has made a difference.
In recent years, my work has broadened to look not just at stress but at the wider issue of workplace mental health. I've been lucky enough to get some recognition and win some awards for this work. The incidence of common mental health problems (stress, anxiety and depression) has increased markedly and of course this isn't solely a work issue. What happens outside of work, such as stressful life events, can make us more vulnerable to mental health problems, including at work. I've become progressively more interested in the impact of what I would call 'stress trends' and their impact on our wellbeing, and being a bit of a wellbeing data geek, I follow these trends. I firmly believe that life, including work life, has become more stressful. A huge body of evidence supports that view.
Over my career, I've developed a lot of training and tools, especially for managers and teams and I still deliver some management training face-to-face to some of my best clients like the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and BAE Systems. But now my career is at something of a crossroads. I'm working more strategically with boards as a non-exec (please contact me if you are interested in that kind of support), and have made a decision to make my intellectual property such as training, tools and resources available more widely online.
As a consultant, and one approaching 60, there's only so much I can do. I can only physically be in one place at a time. But using this website and online learning platforms like Podia (please check out my new site, Zoomsultants, which officially launches in Oct 21), I can let people like you access everything that I've learned and developed. Of course, whether you're a consultant or manager, I fervently hope you too can use my tools to make a difference, to manage and minimise the risk of stress wherever you are.
One other thing about me that's important is that I'm a Rotarian. I'm immediate Past-President of my local Rotary Club (Rotary Club of Stirling, Scotland). So the principle of 'Service Above Self' influences my approach to life and work, and indeed this website.
Back in 1932, Rotary adopted something called the four-way test:
This test might be nearly 90 years old, but it somehow still seems highly appropriate to the challenge of preventing and reducing stress at work in the 21st century.
If you're interested in me or my work and would like to link up, you can find my social media links at the top of the page.
Best wishes
Alan Bradshaw, Business Psychologist
That's me there on the left of this page. The header picture is of The Kelpies, an amazing sculpture, close to Falkirk, not far from where I live. If you're ever in Scotland you should definitely go and see them.
I first developed this website many years ago not long after I started my career in business psychology in 1996, to provide access to stress management tools, training and resources. I came to psychology comparatively late, returning to uni my early 30s, having had a first career in social work and social care management. I'm still very interested in social issues and am currently a non-executive director (voluntary) and trustee of a residential care facility for people with long-term mental health problems. For seven years, I also served as a trustee of a homelessness charity in Glasgow.
But work-related stress has been my main professional specialty for the past 25 years or so. I still work with large organisations and as a business partner of one of the UK's largest Occupational Health providers, supporting their efforts to prevent and reduce stress at work. I'm a strong believer in prevention and adopting a proactive approach to managing stress risks at work. Much of my career has been dedicated to developing tools, training and consultancy frameworks to help clients with this vital task. It's important work, which I hope has made a difference.
In recent years, my work has broadened to look not just at stress but at the wider issue of workplace mental health. I've been lucky enough to get some recognition and win some awards for this work. The incidence of common mental health problems (stress, anxiety and depression) has increased markedly and of course this isn't solely a work issue. What happens outside of work, such as stressful life events, can make us more vulnerable to mental health problems, including at work. I've become progressively more interested in the impact of what I would call 'stress trends' and their impact on our wellbeing, and being a bit of a wellbeing data geek, I follow these trends. I firmly believe that life, including work life, has become more stressful. A huge body of evidence supports that view.
Over my career, I've developed a lot of training and tools, especially for managers and teams and I still deliver some management training face-to-face to some of my best clients like the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and BAE Systems. But now my career is at something of a crossroads. I'm working more strategically with boards as a non-exec (please contact me if you are interested in that kind of support), and have made a decision to make my intellectual property such as training, tools and resources available more widely online.
As a consultant, and one approaching 60, there's only so much I can do. I can only physically be in one place at a time. But using this website and online learning platforms like Podia (please check out my new site, Zoomsultants, which officially launches in Oct 21), I can let people like you access everything that I've learned and developed. Of course, whether you're a consultant or manager, I fervently hope you too can use my tools to make a difference, to manage and minimise the risk of stress wherever you are.
One other thing about me that's important is that I'm a Rotarian. I'm immediate Past-President of my local Rotary Club (Rotary Club of Stirling, Scotland). So the principle of 'Service Above Self' influences my approach to life and work, and indeed this website.
Back in 1932, Rotary adopted something called the four-way test:
- Is it the truth?
- Is it fair to all concerned?
- Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
- Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
This test might be nearly 90 years old, but it somehow still seems highly appropriate to the challenge of preventing and reducing stress at work in the 21st century.
If you're interested in me or my work and would like to link up, you can find my social media links at the top of the page.
Best wishes
Alan Bradshaw, Business Psychologist