So Choir! Wellington Place Workplace Choir in Leeds
Over the last 18 months, workers from different companies in Leeds city centre have come together once a week to sing at lunch times with the pioneering Wellington Place Workplace Choir run by So Choir!. On 26th of April 2017, the BBC Look North crew came down to see just how smashing out some killer tunes can blast away those workplace blues…
Wellbeing at Work in Yorkshire
BBC Look North presenters Harry Gration and Amy Garcia revealed in their report that workers in Yorkshire and the North Midlands take an average lunch break of just 15 minutes (half the national average) and 1 in 5 suffer workplace depression. This, we know, contributes towards more sick days, decreased productivity and has a negative effect on relationships both in and out of the office. Despite this, a reported 60% of employers in the region fail to offer their staff access to activities known to improve wellness and wellbeing.
Happy Together
As the Wellington Place Workplace Choir harmonised to The Turtles’ smile-inducing classic, Happy Together, workers told Look North reporter, Heidi Tomlinson, how singing together makes them feel:
“It’s just about having fun”
“You go back to work much calmer”
“You can tend to be more relaxed and kinder to your colleagues”
“It’s a good feeling. I think it makes you perform better in the afternoon”
Nic Slack, founder of So Choir! went on to comment on the report:
“Its absolutely fantastic that wellbeing at work activities like workplace choirs are receiving more media coverage and are being recognised for the value they provide to employers and employees alike”
“We are seeing a real surge in demand for pop-up singing sessions in the workplace – both as a fun team building exercise or a regular stress-busting session at lunchtime or after work. It’s amazing to see the difference that just an hour’s singing together can make. Anyone can walk through the door. It doesn’t matter who they are at work – they could be the CEO or the cleaner, they leave all that behind. What matters is how they feel at the end of the session. People always leave together laughing, singing and smiling”
Wellbeing at your workplace?
If you’d like to discuss workplace choirs and chat about us running a fun, upbeat singing session at your workplace, we’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with us here: www.sochoir.co.uk/get-in-touch