Most-read HRZone articles of 2018
Discover the top 10 most-read HRZone articles of 2018, covering people analytics, employee benefits, wellbeing, engagement, and remote working. See what HR professionals were reading and ensure you haven’t missed essential insights from industry experts.
99% perspiration: the challenge of being a midlife professional woman
Midlife professional women face unique challenges balancing work, caregiving, and menopause symptoms, yet most workplaces lack support or flexibility for this valuable cohort. HR leaders must address these needs to retain experienced talent and prevent high-performing women from leaving to start their own businesses.
Wearable technology: what’s the impact on workplace wellbeing?
Wearable technology and health apps are transforming workplace wellbeing by providing data-driven insights to improve employee health outcomes and ROI. Organizations can use wearables to identify health risks, tailor wellness programs, and create a positive wellbeing culture based on actionable employee data.
How to help your employees become more resilient
Organizations can boost employee resilience by fostering openness, providing stress management training, and modeling healthy work practices. Key barriers like emotional avoidance and boundary-setting challenges often stem from workplace culture rather than individual shortcomings alone.
Why wellbeing in the workplace is a joint effort
Workplace wellbeing requires collaboration between employers and employees. Employers must offer meaningful benefits like flexible working and wellness programs, while employees need to actively engage with these offerings. Effective two-way communication ensures initiatives truly support staff needs.
Is our use of technology doing more harm than good?
Technology offers significant benefits like staying connected and working flexibly, but our constant dependence on devices comes with hidden costs. UK adults spend over eight hours daily on screens, with frequent phone checking triggering stress responses that may harm our physical and mental health.
Invisible disabilities: it’s time for HR to get hearing loss on the agenda
Invisible disabilities like hearing loss often go overlooked in the workplace, creating significant barriers for affected employees. HR professionals can play a crucial role in removing these obstacles by raising awareness, challenging stereotypes, and implementing supportive workplace practices that enable people with deafness and hearing loss to thrive.
What are the legal implications of managing mental health in the workplace?
Employers must navigate significant legal implications when supporting employee mental health, particularly under the Equality Act 2010, which protects disabled employees from discrimination. Failure to make reasonable adjustments or properly address mental health issues can expose organizations to tribunal claims and legal liability.
Why it’s time to humanise the workplace
Meaningful workplace conversations are rare, but fostering deeper human connections at work is essential for mental health. By recognizing colleagues as whole people—beyond their intellect—and embracing emotions, intuition, and authentic dialogue, organizations can create healthier, more humane work environments.
Standing desks: 5 ways HR can facilitate change
Research shows standing desks improve employee health and productivity, yet many organizations struggle to adopt them. HR leaders can facilitate this workplace change through five key strategies: prioritizing health and wellbeing at the leadership level, securing budget support, and implementing structured transition plans that benefit both employees and the organization.
Why flexible working beats the 9-5
Flexible working arrangements boost employee productivity and engagement, with 81% of workers prioritizing flexibility over traditional 9-5 schedules. Companies that embrace flexible work attract top talent, improve retention, and demonstrate genuine commitment to employee wellbeing and work-life balance.
Communications: how to be open and honest, even in times of growth
Transparent internal communication during business growth builds trust and employee engagement. By keeping staff informed about changes from the start—even uncertain news—HR leaders can reduce anxiety, prevent rumors, and help employees feel valued and involved in the company’s direction.
If we’re okay, why are mental health absences going up and up in organisations across the UK?
Mental health absences in UK organisations are rising despite improved awareness campaigns, costing the economy £70-100 billion annually. Effective workplace mental health support requires open communication, addressing organisational stressors like workload and conflict, and breaking down stigma around disclosure rather than relying on wellbeing programmes alone.
How to earn employee trust in your business
Building employee trust requires understanding context and reading trust signals accurately. Rather than asking “do you trust me?” broadly, organizations must clarify what specific responsibilities employees should trust them with—from paying salaries on time to providing professional development. Misinterpreting trust signals can be damaging, so employers need awareness of how they’re actually perceived.
Why the workplace is an ideal context to practice mindfulness
Major companies like Google, eBay, KPMG, and BT are investing in workplace mindfulness programs to improve focus, decision-making, and employee well-being. The workplace is an ideal community setting for practicing mindfulness, as it provides built-in support and accountability that helps employees sustain the practice long-term.
Why should HR care about the adult social care crisis?
The adult social care crisis poses direct challenges for HR professionals, as an aging workforce and rising care costs will impact employee wellbeing and retention. HR leaders should consider how employee benefits frameworks, potentially including social care vouchers, can help address future care needs and support talent attraction in a competitive market.
How data can enhance employee wellbeing
Data analytics and wearable devices enable employers to measure and improve employee wellbeing by tracking behavior patterns, identifying health risks, and personalizing benefits offerings. Happy employees are up to 12% more productive, making workplace wellbeing measurement a strategic priority for organizations.
Money worries and mental health: what can businesses do?
Financial stress significantly impacts employee mental health and workplace productivity, with research showing that 74% of people with debt worries experience mental health effects. Employers can address this by implementing financial wellbeing strategies that break stigma, provide support resources, and tackle both preventative measures and crisis management.
Do transformational leaders make you sick?
Research shows transformational leaders may harm employee health over time. A study found that employees with highly transformational leaders reported increased sickness absenteeism, particularly vulnerable workers who tend to work while ill, suggesting performance expectations shouldn’t come at the expense of wellbeing.
Workplace trends 2019: Jason Corsello at UNLEASH World Conference & Expo
Jason Corsello, Managing Partner at Acadian Ventures, shared key workplace trends at UNLEASH 2018, highlighting the disconnect between tech growth and productivity, the rise of gig work and job-hopping, automation’s impact on skills, and growing workforce stress concerns shaping HR’s future.
