Ask the Expert: Are we legally obliged to have a health and safety policy?
The question Although my employer does not have a health and safety policy, the internal website says that: "As an employee, you have a personal responsibility to take care of yourself and others and to avoid placing yourself or others in a situation that is hazardous or a risk to health." I have […]
How to recognise workplace bullying
Workplace bullying is definitely on the rise, not least because of the ample opportunities for cyber-bullying in our increasingly high tech work environments. The situation is also not helped by the tough economic climate, which tends to have an impact on management behaviour and can lead to increased levels of stress throughout the organisation, not […]
Legal Insight: How to deal with long-term sick leave
Although the holiday season may have ended, the holiday-related pain for those employing people on long-term sick leave has not. This is because European law enables UK employees to save up the holiday leave entitlement accruing to them while on sick leave and take it when they are well enough to return to work. […]
Blog: Would you hire someone with a drug or alcohol dependency?
The HRZone community will already be well aware that getting people ‘back to work’ and reducing the welfare bill are central to this government’s ambitions. What may not be so familiar is the way in which this broader political context is reflected in policy on treatment for drug and alcohol problems. The vision of […]
How to create a physically healthy workplace
According to the Health and Safety Executive’s latest figures, we’re gradually getting the message about making the working environment a more healthy one. The organisation indicates that, between April 2010 and March 2011, around 1.2 million people were suffering from an illness caused or made worse by their job, down from 1.3 million the previous […]
News: Celebrity campaigns help reduce mental health stigma at work
Less stigma is being attached to mental health issues than a year ago following a number of TV and press campaigns and celebrities talking openly about their conditions, research has found. A survey among 1,000 employers and 1,000 staff conducted by insurance provider Aviva, published to coincide with World Mental Health Day, revealed that just […]
Blog: World Mental Health Day – How to deal with depression
British workers are apparently the most depressed in Europe. According to a new study, the Impact of Depression in the Workplace in Europe, one in four British workers (26 percent) will take time off work for depression – compared to around one in ten across Europe. We’re also likely to be off work for longer, […]
Blog: What Boris can teach us about resilience
As nights draw in during early October, and the rain beats down outside, another political party conference season continues and we see some leaders blossom while others blunder! While George Osborne spreads apocalyptic doom across the country of slashed benefits spending and ever worsening public finances, we can rely upon Boris Johnson to raise our […]
Talking Point: Do you know what stress looks like?
Health and Safety Executive figures show that 10 million working days are lost in the UK each year to stress. Each case of stress-related ill health leads to an average of 30 days off work, resulting in an annual cost to British business estimated to be in excess of £5 billion. And the problem […]
News: Sickness absence down, presenteeism and mental illness up
Although average employee absence levels have dropped by as much as a day, job insecurity has led to a rise in presenteeism and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. According to a survey conducted among 667 employers by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and health insurance provider Simplyhealth, staff absence levels […]
Ask the Expert: What to do about a serious staff/manager rift?
The question Within the business, we have an employee and a line manager whose working relationship has completely broken down. The line manager has been with us for 20 years and has an unblemished record. The employee has been in post for three months, but has had no previous employment issues and her references […]
Blog: Are your staff getting enough shuteye?
For many of us pressing the snooze button on our alarms has become part of our daily routine and taking your laptop home alongside that extra pile of paperwork has become something of the norm. But do we actually realise the negative impact this is having on our productivity in the workplace? ‘Chronic lack of […]
News: Lack of HR support means 1/3 senior hires consider quitting in first 3 months
A failure by top managers to work closely enough with HR means that two out of five senior hires consider quitting in their first 90 days and are 50% less productive than they would otherwise be. According to a survey among 283 senior executives and 38 HR directors conducted by recruitment consultancy, Harvey Nash, a […]
News: Fear of fitness-to-work test driving disabled to suicide
Fear of fitness-to-work tests are driving some disabled people to suicide and causing others mental health problems, according to the latest research among GPs. A survey of more than 1,000 family doctors in the UK revealed that more than four out of five had patients who had developed mental health issues such as stress, anxiety […]
Blog: Are British workers really the most idle in the world?
British workers are among the most idle in the world, according to a book written by five Tory MPs. In the book ‘Britannia Unchained: Lessons for Growth and Prosperity’ the authors wrote: “Once they enter the workplace, the British are among the worst idlers in the world. We work among the lowest hours, we retire early and […]
News: UK workers ‘most depressed in Europe’
UK workers are the most depressed in Europe, with just over a quarter having been diagnosed with the condition, according to research. But because diagnosis levels across the continent are on average about 20%, falling to a mere 12% in Italy, it appears that the country’s dubious position at the top of the polls may […]
News: Bereaved parents call for corporate manslaughter charges against G4S
The parents of a private security guard have called for his employer, G4S, to be charged with corporate manslaughter after their son was killed by a colleague described by an alleged whistleblower as a “violent criminal”. According to a BBC documentary entitled ‘Britain’s Private War’, which is due to be screened on BBC Two Scotland […]
News: Redundancies likely early next year if economy fails to improve, warns CIPD
Rising unit labour costs and falling productivity will only put more pressure on employers to either restrict pay rises and cut working hours or start making redundancies, the CIPD has warned. Figures published today by the Office for National Statistics revealed that the productivity of UK workers fell by 0.9% in the second quarter of […]
Blog: HR, it’s time to show bullies the exit
“As I opened the door, I saw her with her back turned and shoulders slumped. When she turned around, I could see that she had been crying. I felt bad but it made me realize that I am not the only one who gets verbally abused. The kicker was that she was a senior level […]
The first HCM reporting benchmark: BITC’s Workwell model
Today’s launch of Business in the Community’s Workwell FTSE 100 benchmark is the culmination of more than five years of research into the issue of human capital management reporting. The benchmark was created by the charity in partnership with key employers such as BT Group in order to demonstrate the benefits of taking a strategic, […]