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 […]
Are employers up to speed on failing Work Programme?
"Extremely poor." That’s the damning assessment from a committee of cross party MPs of the government’s flagship, multi-billion pound Work Programme to get the long term unemployed back to work. But is the Programme failing as a result of poor communication and marketing to employers, without which it cannot hope to succeed? The House of […]
Health and Safety: businesses need to keep defibrillators to hand
Defbrillators should become part of regular office equipment, urges an occupational health group. A survey of 1,000 UK firms by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) found that more than half of UK businesses do not have a defibrillator, which restarts the heart using an electric shock following cardiac arrest. While six […]
Ask the Expert: strategies for mental wellbeing
The statistics are stark: one in four British adults will suffer at least one diagnosable mental health problem in any one year, according to The Office for National Statistics. Yet, despite the prevalence of people suffering from stress, depression and other mental illnesses, there is such a huge stigma around mental health that many people […]
Mental health reform brings HR implications
The Mental Health (Discrimination) Bill was given its final approval by the Lords last week, marking a major step forward in the way society views mental illness. Three key changes will become law when the Bill gains Royal Assent, probably next month. It will lift the barrier on people who have suffered mental illness from […]
Best Practice: wellbeing initiative proves healthy for Ipswich Building Society
Ipswich Building Society is reaping the rewards of its employee health and wellbeing initiative with a dramatic fall in absenteeism and staff churn. The 110-strong building society embarked on a health and wellbeing programme four years ago. Since then, absenteeism rates have plummeted 48%, staff turnover has dropped to a record low and it has […]
Poundland’s graduate shelf-stacker wins back-to-work ‘slavery’ appeal
Three judges in London have ruled key elements of the government’s back-to-work schemes are unlawful and have quashed them. University graduate Cait Reilly has won her Court of Appeal claim that requiring her to work for free at a Poundland discount store was unlawful. Reilly had been claiming jobseekers’ benefits since 2011 after […]
Cancer care not on the priority list for employer-funded overseas health schemes
Working overseas can leave staff vulnerable as employers cut corners on health cover, with over a quarter (23%) of employers wanting to provide international health insurance to staff, but simply can’t afford to. According to the “Anatomy of an international business” report by Expacare, one third of employers (33%) consider international health insurance for staff as […]
Ask the Expert: can you refuse to interview an unsatisfactory former worker?
Question: Can you refuse to interview an unsatisfactory former worker? What is the legal position if a former employee who had a poor performance/attendance record but left of their own accord rather than having formal action taken against them, applies to work for your company again? I can’t seem to find any guidance relating […]
News: why we’re all totally stressed out!!!
One in five workers are too busy to take lunch breaks, according to report which aims to lift the lid on the true state of the nation’s workplace health. The survey by charity the British Heart Foundation (BHF) revealed employees felt let down by their bosses who didn’t prioritise their wellbeing or care about […]
Snow joke as workers lie about being trapped by the weather
Were you at work last week or were you ‘snowed in’? It seems a quarter of UK workers lied about being snowed-in to enjoy a sneaky day off from the office. It seems it wasn’t just school children who made the most of the blanket of snow that covered much of the UK over the […]
British workers beat the blues
Blue Monday, the so-called most depressing day of the year, will claim fewer victims this year, as workers say they are happier and more secure in their jobs in 2013. The third Monday in January, which falls today, has been dubbed the most miserable day of the year. But despite the cold snap in the […]