Blog: Three reasons staff lie to get time off work
Recognise This! – Responsible managers and HR Pros must dig deeper to understand the real reasons behind employees embellishing reasons to miss work. Is it ever okay to lie to get vacation days you want? Of course, the obvious answer is, “No.” But giving the obvious answer and moving on is the lazy way […]
Putting the Games plan into practice
“The Olympics is a big morale booster for the country this year,” believes Phoebe Leet, head of HR for UK and Ireland at IT network giant, Cisco. And as a technology partner for the Games, the vendor has naturally had the event on its mind for some time. As a result, it has already […]
Let the Games commence – But make sure you plan for them
Love them or loathe them, with the Olympics bang on our doorstep, the Games can’t be ignored. Travel disruption and staffing issues will all play havoc with normal working days, particularly for those organisations and workers in and around the capital and other Olympic venues. Demand for holiday leave and increased absenteeism will affect […]
Blog: Debunking 5 employee performance myths
Deciphering the myths of employee performance: Myth 1: A Mission Statement is Enough Employee performance touches every part of the organisation. However, simply creating a new company vision every three to four years and setting board level objectives of increasing sales or market share is not enough. Such goals have no relevance to […]
Talking Point: What’s happened to business ethics?
It seems that every time you open a newspaper at the moment, there’s a new business scandal. The fall-out from Barclays Libor-rigging fine continues to be an ongoing story. The scandal has already claimed the scalps of the bank’s chairman and chief executive – and who knows how many more may follow? Barclay’s leadership […]
Legal Insight: Playing the Games within the letter of the law
With only a few months to go to the start of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and amid widespread predictions that London could come to a complete standstill, employers need to start planning now to ensure that they can cope with the many issues that will undoubtedly arise. Transport Inevitably, the Games will cause […]
Case Study: Medtronic introduces global well-being scheme to cut absenteeism
Medtronic introduced a global well-being programme last year in a bid to help its employees deal with damaging health issues ranging from obesity and stress to smoking. As a manufacturer of pacemakers, defibrillators and other medical equipment, the vendor knows the value of good health and has long been committed to improving the wellbeing of […]
News: One million UK workers drugged up at work
Nearly one million UK employees have illegal drugs in their system at any given point in time, with the number testing positive having jumped by a huge 43% over the last five years. According to a report entitled ‘High Society: Drug Prevalence in the UK workplace’, which is based on the results of drug tests […]
Ask the Expert: Can changes to employment terms be imposed without discussion?
The question My husband works for the NHS and has been told that, as from the middle of next month, he has to work one evening a week on top of his daytime duties (he is being paid for the extra hours). Apart from the fact that this situation is creating all sorts of […]
Blog: Dealing with summer absences
Thoughts are now beginning to turn to summer holidays: for many employees a chance for much deserved and needed rest and recuperation. It would be easy to think the summer, with blue skies and warmer temperatures, might be an easier time for business. Yet unfortunately the figures show otherwise, and many organisations can expect […]
News: Northumbrian Water wins award for health and well-being initiative
Northumbrian Water has won a prestigious accolade after introducing an holistic wellbeing initiative that helped to cut its sickness absence rates by 3.1% between 2010 and 2011. The provider of water and sewage services to customers in the North East of England received charity Business in the Community’s Workwell Award last night after seeing absence […]
Dealing with the stress factor
Once upon a time, musculoskeletal problems such as bad backs brought on by physical labour were the main cause of long-term sickness absence. But not any more. According to the latest survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, stress is now – for the first time ever – the most common cause of […]
Expert voice: reaping the value of soft benefits
It’s a basic fact of human nature that we all like to feel valued and nurtured. But with tight budgets making it increasingly difficult to reward staff with big pay rises, organisations are, in many instances, looking at offering so-called soft benefits instead. And office perks such as sporting activities, gym membership and in-house […]
Blog: how to comply with fire safety at work
In light of the recent news that Asda have been fined more than £55,000 for fire safety breaches they might have wanted to have a closer look at how to comply with fire safety. Having an affective fire action plan in place can help your company to evacuate quickly and safely and help to minimise […]
Expert Voice: How to get your life balance right
When life is busy, or all your energy is focused on something, it’s all too easy to find yourself ‘off balance’ and not paying enough attention to the important areas of your life. Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air. You name them: work, family, health, friends and soul […]
Blog: 3 Tips to Build and Sustain a Strong Company Culture
Recognise This! – Creating a strong culture requires careful focus and intention. What’s your ambition for the culture of your organisation? If you intend to create and preserve a strong company culture of recognition – one that drives engagement, productivity and performance – how do you that? 1) Focus on Your Culture If culture is […]
Blog: Are you paying enough attention to staff health and well-being?
A couple of month’s ago the nation’s hearts sank at the sight of Bolton’s Midfielder Fabrice Muamba being resuscitated after collapsing at the FA Cup Quarter final due to a sudden cardiac arrest. The 24 yr old football star took 78 minutes to regain breathing and has bought new awareness to Sudden Cardiac Death Syndrome this […]
In a Nutshell: Five top tips for staying stress-free
Stress is now the leading cause of long-term sickness absence in the workplace. A survey published recently by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development and private health insurance company, Simplyhealth, revealed that nearly two-fifths of the 592 UK employers questioned had seen an increase in stress-related absence among their employees over the last year. […]
News: Govt dismisses ‘exploitation’ of unpaid Jubilee stewards as “one off”
Downing Street has dismissed accusations about “exploiting cheap labour” during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, following claims that a security firm asked unpaid jobseekers who acted as stewards to sleep under London Bridge. Former deputy prime minister, Lord Prescott, wrote to the Home Secretary, Theresa May, after the incident came to light yesterday, saying that […]
Book Review: Doing the right thing: The importance of wellbeing in the workplace
Although economists and psychologists have been fascinated by the relationship between productivity and wellbeing in the workplace for many years, the publication of this book by business consultant, Theo Theobald, and psychologist, Cary Cooper, is timely. As its authors explain, it coincides with wellbeing’s “flavour of the month” status, emerging as it currently is as […]