Book Review: Doing the right thing: The importance of wellbeing in the workplace
Theo Theobald and Cary Cooper’s book explores how workplace wellbeing has become essential to counteract decades of pursuing wealth and status at any cost. The authors provide practical strategies for recognizing workplace toxicity and implementing positive change, emphasizing individual responsibility in reshaping workplace culture and relationships.
News: 60% of workers plan to watch Olympics – with or without consent
Nearly 60% of UK employees plan to watch the Olympics during work hours, prompting many employers to offer flexible working arrangements. A CIPD and Hays survey found that over half of organizations will accommodate homeworking or flexible schedules, though some restrict leave and warn staff about unauthorized absences and disciplinary consequences.
A typical HRD: Part 3 – Small-to-medium enterprises
HR directors in small-to-medium enterprises typically possess entrepreneurial mindsets and self-sufficiency, handling diverse responsibilities from talent management to strategic planning without specialist support. The SME sector increasingly attracts ambitious HR professionals seeking greater autonomy and direct business impact, though career advancement often requires eventual transition to larger organizations.
Blog: How Malmaison’s employee incentive scheme ‘Wow’-ed customers
Malmaison’s ‘Wow’ employee incentive scheme drove over 8,000 customer recognition moments by empowering staff to deliver exceptional service and give complimentary items. The program reduced service complaints from 69% to 17%, lowered staff turnover by 17%, and increased repeat business by 51% for a cost of just £6,500.
Legal Insight: Homeworking during the Olympics
Employers allowing staff to work from home during the Olympics must ensure compliance with employment law and health and safety regulations. This includes conducting risk assessments, providing adequate equipment, and maintaining the same employee protections as office-based workers, even for temporary arrangements.
Ask the Expert: What is the holiday situation for sick workers going through redundancy?
When a redundant employee has been on long-term sick leave and didn’t take accrued holidays, they may be entitled to carry over untaken leave from the previous year under the Working Time Regulations, though the legal position remains uncertain. Employers should consider a risk-averse approach by paying out both years’ accrued holiday entitlements upon termination.
Case Study: Managing seasonal workers
Heritage Attractions, which operates UK landmarks like Land’s End and John O’Groats, manages seasonal workforce challenges by implementing time-and-attendance software. The system streamlines payroll processing for over 100 temporary summer staff across multiple shift patterns, saving significant administrative time and reducing payroll errors.
Video Interview: Top tips for dealing with a stressful work environment
Steve Smith and Gayle Robling share expert strategies for managing workplace stress, building mental resilience, and improving employee performance in high-pressure environments.
Talent Spot: Stephanie Murphy, Interim HR manager
Stephanie Murphy discovered her passion for HR after years exploring different careers, from working with animals to airline cabin crew. Starting as a commercial assistant at Serco 12 years ago, she pursued Open University qualifications and eventually became an HR manager, completing her MBA in 2011.
How to deal with a hostage situation
Learn how to prepare for and respond to a hostage situation in your workplace. This guide covers essential emergency planning, including evacuation procedures, security measures, and communication strategies to help protect your staff during a crisis.
Blog: What impact does office politics have on people’s work lives?
Office politics directly affects 95% of workers, with significant business consequences including 70% leaving jobs due to workplace manipulation, increased absenteeism averaging 4.5 days annually, and measurable team underperformance—yet most cases go unreported due to managerial cover-ups.
Blog: How to promote workplace safety
Promote workplace safety by staying current with regulations, engaging employees through varied education and creative activities, enforcing accountability with on-the-floor coaching, and maintaining consistent follow-up. A strong safety culture requires understanding employee psychology and rewarding good habits.
News: Calls for ‘competency card’ after employer convicted of manslaughter
Health and safety experts are calling for mandatory competency cards for agricultural workers after a pig farm was convicted of manslaughter. The conviction follows the 2010 death of a worker killed by a falling metal bin at a farm in County Armagh, highlighting the need for stricter safety measures in high-risk sectors.
Blog: Nine attitudes to help you become an emotionally intelligent leader
Emotionally intelligent leaders achieve better results by developing key people skills. This article explores nine attitudes that help leaders manage their own emotions and effectively respond to their team’s emotional needs, a learnable skill that transforms workplace culture and engagement.
Five principles to ensure successful conflict resolution
Effective conflict resolution requires five core principles: listening actively, remaining non-judgmental, helping parties understand opposing perspectives, and facilitating constructive dialogue. Organizations lose an estimated £40 billion annually to unresolved workplace conflicts, making skilled dispute management essential for HR leaders and mediators.
News: Employers join with working mums to slam proposed maternity leave cuts
Employers and working mothers are opposing government proposals to cut default maternity leave from 26 to 18 weeks. Nine of 11 major employers surveyed, representing over 300,000 workers, warned the changes could increase absenteeism and harm workplace retention of women.
Ask the Expert: What is the legal status of union-appointed safety reps?
Union-appointed safety representatives have statutory rights under UK regulations to represent employees and conduct safety work, though the regulations don’t clearly specify whether they must represent all employees or only union members. Employers cannot terminate these appointments, and safety reps have exclusive rights including paid time for safety duties.
Legal Insight: Health matters part 3 – Tackling presenteeism
Presenteeism—when employees work while ill—costs UK employers nearly twice as much as absenteeism, with mental health-related presenteeism alone costing £15.1 billion annually. Managers must address this through leading by example and creating workplace cultures where taking sick leave is genuinely acceptable.
Blog: How to hold on to good employees – Part 2
Discover key employee retention strategies including creating an open, values-driven workplace culture and developing effective manager-employee relationships. Learn how to make your company a place where talented people want to stay.
News: Kate Bleasdale v Healthcare Locums case turns dirty
Former Healthcare Locums CEO Kate Bleasdale is suing the company’s chairman and board members for sexual discrimination and unfair dismissal, alleging inappropriate conduct and accounting irregularities. The disputed claims emerged during her £12 million legal action at the London employment tribunal.
