How to replace mental health stigma and silence with support and openness
Work is a huge part of many people’s lives – it’s where we spend a lot of our time and energy – and yet the workplace repeatedly crops up as a place where those of us with a mental health problem experience high levels of stigma and discrimination. Statistics show that due to the fear […]
Physical exercise: what are the benefits for work?
Physical exercise universally enhances performance, but lack of confidence, office politics and time management are stumbling blocks for UK workers. What can be done? We need to look at: Why exercise benefits performance How to make exercise a habit How HR can encourage physical exercise Stage 1: Understand why physical exercise is good a) It […]
Are you in the dark about the health risks of shift work?
Peter Clark is head of corporate and public service development at HCML – Health & Case Management Ltd – who are dedicated to restoring sick and injured people back to health. Here he explores the occupational health hazards of shift work and offers advice for HR managers working in the shift economy. Shift workers are […]
Turn your culture into a mental wellbeing oasis
Life is busy, and this is especially true in our modern workplaces. Despite the rise of technology, we have seen no corresponding decrease in our working hours. In fact, the trend seems to continue ever upward. According to a report by TUC in 2016, almost four million employees are working at least 48 hours a […]
Three strategies for managing anxiety in the workplace
The poet T.S. Eliot was wrong when he famously said April could be the cruellest month. For many, January is the time when moods dip. This year, the usual toxic mix of a post-Christmas slump and poor weather is likely to be exacerbated by anxiety about Brexit and Trump, and concern about meeting targets as […]
5 common subtypes of Pure OCD
This article was written by journalist Samantha Jenkins as part of her ‘Pure OCD – Beyond the thoughts’ project, and was first published here. Pure OCD tends to latch itself onto a person’s deepest, darkest inner fear. We all have fears that we think about sometimes, but mostly we are able to get on with our day without […]
Pure OCD: Why don’t we know about it?
This article was written by journalist Samantha Jenkins as part of her ‘Pure OCD – Beyond the thoughts’ project, and was first published here. Contrary to popular belief, obsessive-compulsive disorder can be more than just repeatedly washing hands and checking the door is locked over and over again. Whilst these could both be an indication […]
Dynamic working: Flexibility for the next generation of worker
Flexible working is a phrase that is thrown around a lot, but what does it actually mean? In 2014, the government released its official definition, stating that: “Flexible working is a way of working that suits an employee’s needs, e.g. having flexible start and finish times, or working from home.” It also stipulated that all […]
Should I tell my boss I have OCD?
Stuart Ralph has had OCD for most of his life. Through his podcast The OCD Stories he shares the progress he has made with various therapies and seeks to help people affected by OCD with their own recovery. Here he explores some key considerations to take when it comes to opening up at work about […]
Book review: Enhancing Employee Engagement: An Evidence-Based Approach
HRZone has a range of books available for review. If you would like to receive one of our business books, free of charge, please contact the editor on editor at hrzone dot com and we can send you a list of what’s available. In return, we ask for a 400-700 word review of the book, […]
My journey from IT to wellbeing with Parkinson’s disease
Paul Heywood had finally achieved his goal of working as an IT Director at a FTSE100 company when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Here he tells his story of becoming diagnosed, getting back to good health and taking on a new venture. He is now Managing Director of Halcyon Life, a corporate wellbeing and […]
How the end of jobs could liberate future generations
This article was co-authored by Rohit Talwar and Alexandra Whittington from Fast Future Publishing. Much of the current debate on automation focuses on the demise of existing jobs across great swathes of economic activity. The traditional loss of jobs to automation in manufacturing looks set to accelerate, and the incursion of automation into the service […]
Why do UK workers feel undervalued and what can HR do?
A recent study by the ADP Research Institute has revealed that 70% of UK employees would consider leaving their current job and are happy to do so for the smallest salary increase in Europe. In contrast, only 60% of European employees would consider this. European workers would also expect an average salary increase of 12% […]
“Wellbeing is about managing the energy of the organisation needed for it to perform.”
Tim Munden is the Chief Learning Officer of consumer goods multinational Unilever. He was previously VP HR, UK and Ireland at the company. Tim will be speaking at the HR Directors Business Summit in February 2018 in Birmingham, UK – his subject will be “Wellbeing at the Heart of your People Strategy: A Collective Approach.” […]
Employee perspectives: “HR should be a more visible part of the hospital.”
We wanted to take a look at how employees within the healthcare industry are coping with the NHS crisis – on top of what is already a very challenging sector to work in – and whether they feel HR is supporting them adequately in their role. In this anonymised interview, a Band 6 critical care […]
Are we burning ourselves out in the pursuit of happiness?
There’s so much rich insight coming out of the academic sector that HR professionals need to know. At Academics’ Corner we feature the best HR researchers that tell you what they’ve found and what you need to do differently on the back of the research. Get connected to the academic sector through Academics’ Corner and […]
My war on OCD
Colin Minto is the co-founder of APeopleBusiness, an organisation set up to diagnose hidden, problematic workforce stress and equip leaders to invest in mental wellbeing effectively to increase productivity and brand value. Colin set up the business after ‘going public’ with his struggles with OCD – here he tells his story. My first attack, or […]
Why investing in employee health is good for business
It’s widely recognised that many long-term health problems – including a significant increase in the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, certain cancers, depression and muscle and joint problems – are associated with sedentary work and lifestyles. Yet despite this, many employers still remain slow to make the connection between extended periods of sitting and […]
Does #ThrivingAtWork risk your employees’ mental health?
It was Dr Brock Chisholm, the first Director-General of the World Health Organization, who once famously stated that “without mental health, there is no health”. For years now, we have seen the rise in the popularity of yoga, mindfulness, clean eating, wellbeing, and a whole array of trends to help us live better, healthier and […]
How can organisations improve job quality?
There’s so much rich insight coming out of the academic sector that HR professionals need to know. At Academics’ Corner we feature the best HR researchers that tell you what they’ve found and what you need to do differently on the back of the research. Get connected to the academic sector through Academics’ Corner and […]
