Unilever scientist jumps to death following redundancy
A top food scientist jumped to his death from the roof of his laboratory only hours after being made redundant, an inquest has heard. Dr Clive Blackburn, who had worked for Unilever for 15 years developing ready-to-consume drinks for big brands such as Slimfast and Lipton Tea, was told that he was at risk of […]
Legal Insight: How not to slip up in the snow
Forecasters are warning that adverse weather conditions in the UK could last until the end of the month, giving employers potential headaches as staff struggle to make it into work. Three inches of snow led to 600 flights being grounded at Heathrow over the weekend, disrupting the plans of up to 18,000 travellers. The […]
Steve Boorman, Royal Mail’s ex-chief medical adviser, on health and well-being
In these difficult economic times, businesses are becoming more aware of the huge impact that the well-being of their workforce can have on the bottom line. Staff absence alone now accounts for the loss of an estimated 175 million working days a year in the UK. But too many companies regard occupational health services as […]
‘Overworked’ HR manager sues for £800,000 in compensation
An HR manager, who claims that her former employer overworked her to such an extent that she became ill, has sued the company for £800,000 in compensation. According to the Metro newspaper, Joanna MacLennan told the High Court that she worked “impossible hours”, which included 12-hour days, while undertaking recruitment activity for insurance firm, Hartford […]
Workers more ‘stressed and insecure’ than in Queen’s coronation year
In the year of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, it appears that, despite higher levels of personal prosperity, workers are more stressed and more insecure than they were 60 years ago. According to a special Work Audit report published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development to explore how the world of work in the […]
Blog: Employee stress equals financial risk
Recognise This! –If employee retention is important enough to list as a substantial risk factor to meeting financial expectations, then it should be important enough to find ways to reduce employee stress. I just read an interesting story in Forbes, which noted that a common phrase included in the risk factors on 10-Q forms for […]
Trends 2012: Modern life skills
The demands and challenges that HR professionals face at the moment are becoming increasingly complex. Stress-related illness and mental health problems have a huge impact on staff morale, not to mention their effect on productivity and, therefore, business success. The cost of absenteeism is huge and the issues surrounding presenteeism are both time-consuming and […]
Tweeter allegedly sacked after admitting depression
A Twitter user who opened up to the boss earlier today about his depression was apparently fired three hours later after allegedly being told that “we’re a small company, there’s no room for passengers”. The tweeter aka @badlydrawnroy claimed that his employer initially tried to make him resign, but later sent him a letter of […]
Accord Energy Solutions: Becoming an employee-owned company
If your organisation has ambitious plans for the future and wants to employ the most talented and productive people, then making the transition to employee-ownership could be for you. In 2010, we set up Accord Energy Solutions, an independent hydrocarbon accounting company to provide services to the international oil and gas industry. The aim […]
Ask the Expert: What questions can I legally ask on a job application form?
The question Can the following questions legally be asked on a standard application form to be filled in during the interview stage and before a job offer is made? Are you able to attend your main place of work for the hours applicable to the specific job applied for? Are you aware of any […]
PM’s “war” on health and safety branded “appalling and unhelpful”
Prime Ministerial pledges to kill the “health and safety monster” have been branded as “appalling and unhelpful” by an industry expert. David Cameron courted controversy yesterday in a speech to small business leaders in Maidenhead, when he declared “war” on what he described as the “excessive health and safety culture that has become an albatross […]
Trends 2012: Health and wellbeing
Coming up with wellbeing trends for 2012 during a period of such uncertainty seems like something of a poisoned chalice. But a number of themes that started to emerge during 2011 are likely to gather momentum over the coming year and, therefore, are worthy of mention. Not only were such topics talked about by […]
Communication key to morale in face of ongoing pay restraint, advises CIPD
With 2012 set to be marked by constrained and frozen pay, employers must find more effective ways to communicate the rationale behind their decisions to staff in order to keep them motivated, an HR body has warned. According to a survey among 3,056 working adults across all sectors undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Personnel […]
Fit notes more than double days lost to sickness absence
Workers who obtained a fit note from their GPs were off work for more than twice as long as those who failed to follow procedure, a study has revealed. An analysis of 22,086 employee records by absence management services provider, FirstCare, revealed that personnel requesting a fit note were absent from work for an average […]
Self-efficacy: Limiting the damage of redundancy
Christmas is a time for giving. But some presents are less popular than others – and that includes the dubious gift of redundancy. Sadly, however, Christmas is a depressingly common time for workers to be handed their notice – Virgin Megastores went into receivership on Christmas Eve, 2008; Woolworths closed the last of its stores […]
Only a third of employers handle staff mental health issues well
Although about a quarter of employees have experienced mental health problems while in employment, only just over a third believe that their employer is supportive of such issues. An online poll of 2,068 UK workers undertaken by YouGov on behalf of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development revealed that a worrying one in five […]
Update: Lloyds boss to return in January with reduced workload
The boss of Lloyds Banking Group is set to return from his stress-related sick leave in January, albeit with reduced management responsibilities, the bank has revealed. Antonio Horta-Osorio, who joined the organisation in March to restructure it, has been absent from work since the end of October when he was signed off by doctors for […]
Blog: New Year memo to self – boost employee health and wellbeing
Christmas is coming fast and with it that annual angel/demon where you are already forgiving yourself for indulging two sizes in the wrong direction with the promise that starting Jan 1st you really honestly will do something about your health. Of course, businesses do this too. They get to the end of the year, worked […]
Health and wellbeing programmes: Engagement is key
Many organisations are beginning to understand that employee wellbeing plays an important role in personal happiness and productivity which, in turn, has a positive impact on corporate performance. But one of the biggest challenges is simply engaging staff sufficiently to actually take part in the wellbeing programmes intended for their benefit. High levels of such […]
Busiest expenses day of the year piles pressure on accounts staff
Yesterday was the busiest expenses day of the year, with finance teams facing a 139% rise in the number of claims submitted. According to claims management software provider Concur, staff rushing to recover the coming cost of Christmas placed huge pressure on finance teams to complete last-minute submissions before the break. The expenses rush added even […]
