Financial services workers ‘unhappiest in the UK’
Close to a third (32%) of financial services workers responding to a new survey describe themselves as unhappy at work. Workers in sales, media and marketing were happiest – with 78% self-classifying as happy. Arts and culture came second with over two-thirds (69%) saying they were happy at work. Across the board, the number of […]
47 tips for Corporate Wellbeing Programme success
Most corporate wellbeing programmes have a simple objective. To provide staff with knowledge and motivation to make informed lifestyle choices that result in energy, enthusiasm and engagement in all areas of work and life. A simple objective yes, but sometimes easier said than done, so to help you fast-track the success of wellbeing in your […]
UK firms have ‘half the rate of staff sickness’ of German counterparts
The number of UK companies reporting high rates of staff sickness has fallen to half the rate reported in Germany and France. This is according to Dr Wen Wang, of the University of Wolverhampton Business School, who reported the findings to the British Sociological Association’s conference on work, employment and society. Dr Wang said that […]
Is your wellbeing strategy really meeting your employees’ needs?
Wellbeing. It’s on everyone’s lips at the moment. It’s no wonder with increasingly pressurised work environments, redundancies and an increase in the prevalence of mental health problems and stress in the UK workforce. There is a lot of talk about the introduction of wellbeing strategies to alleviate these problems but are employers doing enough? Wellbeing […]
Stamping out the stigma around workplace mental health
We have been working with mental health charity Mind on a series of articles exploring mental health in the workplace. Take a look at the full content series today to get insight and advice on how to improve mental wellbeing throughout your organisation. We all have mental health just as we have physical health – it moves up […]
Workers ‘take caring bosses for granted’
Empathetic bosses who go out of their way to help employees with personal and work problems are being taken for granted, according to new research from IMD business school. The study found that employees tend to view these acts of kindness as part of the manager’s duties and do not plan to put in extra […]
HR guide to depression in the workplace
We have been working with mental health charity Mind on a series of articles exploring mental health in the workplace. Take a look at the full content series today to get insight and advice on how to improve mental wellbeing throughout your organisation. We all have mental health just as we have physical health – it moves up […]
10 signs your employees are suffering from stress and anxiety
This article was written by Rick Hughes, Lead Advisor: Workplace, British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP). Taking more time off work than usual Greater use of substances such as alcohol, tobacco and drugs (prescription and illegal) Increased irritability, poor concentration, reduced productivity Deteriorating personal or work relationships, including bullying behaviours Becoming more ‘emotional’, moody […]
Beat burnout – seven ways to create an extra hour in the day
This article was written by Jeff Archer, Director of The Tonic Corporate Wellness. Someone said to me recently, ‘All I need is an extra hour each day and I’d get everything that I need to do done.’ Unfortunately, we’re all stuck with 24-hours in the day and 168 hours in the week so an extra hour […]
Psychological first-aid in the workplace – responding to traumatic events
This article was written by Mandy Rutter, head of the critical incident team at wellbeing company The Validium Group. The Boston marathon bombing has been an example of the kind of shock incident that is not only traumatic for those involved, but sends waves through networks of friends, colleagues, family and whole communities. For employees, the implications […]
Six top lifestyle changes for reducing stress in the workplace
This article was written by Jeff Archer, Director of The Tonic Corporate Wellness. On any given day, in any office around the country, you’ll hear staff complain about how stressed they are. It’s a phrase that trips off the tongue and has become a catch all term for all manner of frustrations at work and beyond. […]
News: Firms turn to tech for employee health engagement
Employers have an appetite for new technologies to promote health engagement and positive behavioural change in the workplace, according to new research. “Emerging Technology in Health Engagement,” released by Buck Consultants and WorldatWork, examined current use and future potential of gamification, mobile apps and social media. Gamification was the most prevalent solution (62 percent) and […]
Book Review: Modern Life Skills by Liggy Webb
Title: Modern Life Skills: how to deal with the demands and challenges of everyday lifeAuthors: Liggy WebbISBN: 978-1781485514 Reviewed by Robert Evans I was expecting quite a lot from an author who is profiled by the book as an international consultant for the United Nations and a widely respected and leading expert in the field of modern life […]
Supporting senior leaders with mental health issues
This article was written by Mandy Rutter, Senior Clinical Business Manager at Validium. From the end of April, employers will no longer be able to legally remove company directors who have mental health problems. The success of the Mental Health Discrimination Bill is part of an important shift in attitudes towards mental illness: that people […]
News: Work is biggest cause of stress in people’s lives
Work is the most stressful factor in peoples’ lives, with one in three people (34 percent) saying their work life was either very or quite stressful, above debt or financial problems (30 percent) and health (17 percent). This is according to a study of 2000 people conducted by mental health charity Mind. Frustration with poor […]
News: study suggests mismatched employer/employee perceptions around sick leave
A new study points to a difference in perception between UK employers and employees over sick leave in the workplace. “Looking Ahead,” released by Adecco Retail, found that while 87 percent of employers think employees shouldn’t work at home when ill, 31 percent of employees think employers expect them to do so. And despite the […]
Six top tips for preventing employee burnout
There's a lot in the press at the moment about staff burning out, feeling overwhelmed or suffering from lack of engagement. It's not surprising, with budget cuts, staff cuts, restructuring and a general sense of uncertainty in many sectors, there's pressure for employees to know more, do more and achieve more than ever before. Many […]
News: research suggests high stress levels among UK office workers
Two new pieces of research, both from small business supplies company Viking, point to high levels of stress among UK office workers. Viking questioned 2000 office workers on their levels of stress throughout the working week. In the separate study, 200 volunteers answered stress-related questions and had their body temperatures measured at different times of […]
Stress slays two in five staff in smaller firms
Stress is taking a huge toll on UK smaller businesses, affecting morale, absence levels and performance, finds a report. More than 40% of the 500 senior managers from UK small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) said that stress had impacted their business in 2012, according to Zurich Insurance’s SME Risk Index. One in five of […]
Carry on first aiding: HSE says no need for matron
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published new draft guidance to help employers get to grips with proposed changes to workplace first aid. Two pieces of guidance have been published on the HSE website following a consultation on proposals to amend the First Aid Regulations (1981) and remove the requirement for HSE to approve […]
