Shared Reading groups provide a welcoming, relaxed, creative space in which employees can connect with literature and to each other. Groups can start to think and feel differently enabling a practical way of:
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improving wellbeing
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decreasing stress
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building confidence
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facilitating deeper connections between colleagues
Shared Reading
At the core of building an effective and resilient workforce is connection and collaboration – the ability for colleagues to be able to relate to each other in a deeper way, to allow for difference of opinion – to hold space for resolution and collaboration and to create a safe environment in which to do so.
Imagine you had something that could:
- Support employee wellbeing in the workplace
- Build connection and collaboration between teams
- Develop listening and leadership skills
- Enable employees to discuss equity and inclusion in a safe and meaningful way
Shared Reading provides the opportunity to bring groups of colleagues together to enhance their personal development, improve wellbeing and build relationships with others. As a tool with a proven methodology developed over twenty years, its application in the workplace can have really powerful results.
How we can bring Shared Reading to you
Shared Reading sessions can be run weekly or monthly and delivered by our Reader staff, or we can create a training and support package to enable your staff to deliver groups themselves.
We can also offer taster or one-off sessions for groups who may want a Shared Reading session less frequently or wish to hold a Shared Reading session to focus on a particular theme or issue such as conflict resolution, confidence building or to explore texts that help facilitate difficult conversations.
Central to this is that a space is created where people – regardless of age, background or ability – feel safe, valued and listened to.
How it works
Shared Reading is a creative, live experience that can bring lightness and relaxation alongside deep connections and meaningful discussions.
Reading aloud together creates a powerful way of engaging diverse groups and removing barriers to entry, including perceptions of reading based on past experiences.
If you’d like to find out more about how you can join the Shared Reading movement and bring its benefits to your workforce, please contact development@thereader.org.uk
The 2023 Champion Health Workplace report revealed that
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67%
of professionals are experiencing stress at moderate to high levels
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35%
employees report the stress they experience at work is having a negative impact
The Benefits
Investing in employee wellbeing pays dividends in terms of performance, employee retention and productivity and, statistically, happy staff will stay with their employers on average seven times longer than unhappy employees.
The 2023 Champion Health Workplace report revealed that 67% of professionals are experiencing stress at moderate to high levels and almost 35% of employees report the stress they experience at work is having a negative impact. Poor mental health is cited as a factor that significantly impacts productivity, proving costly to employers.
Support a charity
Investing in Shared Reading for your workplace is also a way to support The Reader, a national charity whose movement spans the UK and benefits 19,500 people annually. Our mission is to bring about a reading revolution, ensuring that literature becomes part of the fabric of life, and that Shared Reading groups are widely available, bringing people and books together in welcoming places. We deliver more than 500 weekly Shared Reading sessions in a range of settings, including prisons, care homes, hospitals, libraries, schools and workplaces.
