Trends 2012: Modern life skills
HR professionals face mounting challenges from stress-related illness and mental health problems that impact employee productivity and business success. Organizations that proactively support their workforce with modern life skills—abilities for adaptive and positive behavior—can create sustainable working environments where employees thrive despite increasing workplace demands.
Tweeter allegedly sacked after admitting depression
A Twitter user claims he was fired three hours after disclosing his depression to his employer, with the company citing poor performance and lack of sales. The dismissal raised questions about workplace discrimination and mental health stigma.
Accord Energy Solutions: Becoming an employee-owned company
Accord Energy Solutions transitioned to an employee-owned business model to boost productivity and attract talent in the hydrocarbon accounting sector. Research shows employee-owned companies achieve 19% higher worker productivity and contribute significantly to the economy, making the model both sustainable and beneficial for growth.
Ask the Expert: What questions can I legally ask on a job application form?
Learn which job application questions are legally permissible and which may violate anti-discrimination laws. An employment law expert explains why questions about attendance and willingness to travel could expose employers to discrimination claims under the Equality Act.
PM’s “war” on health and safety branded “appalling and unhelpful”
Prime Minister David Cameron’s pledges to dismantle health and safety regulations have been criticized as “appalling and unhelpful” by industry experts who argue the legislative system exists to prevent workplace deaths and injuries, not burden businesses.
Trends 2012: Health and wellbeing
Workplace wellbeing has shifted from a discretionary expense to a strategic business investment focused on productivity and reducing absenteeism. In 2012, organizations are scrutinizing wellbeing spending more closely and expanding outsourced services beyond reactive support to include broader health and organizational development initiatives.
Communication key to morale in face of ongoing pay restraint, advises CIPD
As pay freezes become widespread, employers must improve communication with staff about compensation decisions to maintain morale and engagement, according to a CIPD survey of over 3,000 workers showing satisfaction levels are declining sharply.
Fit notes more than double days lost to sickness absence
Workers obtaining fit notes from their GPs were absent for an average of 48 days, more than double the 20 days for those without one, according to an analysis of 22,086 employee records. The study suggests fit notes may be prolonging absences rather than reducing them as originally intended.
Self-efficacy: Limiting the damage of redundancy
Job redundancy often triggers a damaging loss of confidence in workers’ ability to find new employment. Self-efficacy—the belief that you can overcome obstacles—plays a crucial role in job search success, and research links it to resilience, performance, and burnout rates. Building self-efficacy requires gradual confidence-building through action, observation, and social support rather than positive thinking alone.
Only a third of employers handle staff mental health issues well
Only a third of UK employers effectively support employees experiencing mental health issues, according to a CIPD survey of over 2,000 workers. One in five felt their organization failed to provide adequate support, while 31% were unaware of available resources, highlighting poor workplace communication about mental health.
Update: Lloyds boss to return in January with reduced workload
Lloyds Banking Group’s chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio will return to work in January after stress-related sick leave, with reduced management responsibilities designed to ease his workload and strengthen senior management accountability.
Blog: New Year memo to self – boost employee health and wellbeing
As the New Year approaches, businesses face an opportunity to explicitly commit to employee health and wellbeing as a strategic priority. By creating a working environment that proactively removes health-damaging factors and actively supports physical and mental wellbeing, companies can improve both employee satisfaction and business performance. A genuine commitment to employee health signals that the organization values its people and recognizes that thriving employees drive business success.
Health and wellbeing programmes: Engagement is key
Employee wellbeing programmes boost productivity and corporate performance, but success depends on strong staff engagement. HR leaders must carefully plan, design, and communicate these initiatives using multiple channels and incentives to encourage participation.
Busiest expenses day of the year piles pressure on accounts staff
Finance teams faced a 139% surge in expense claims on the year’s busiest expenses day, as staff rushed to submit last-minute reimbursements before the Christmas break and year-end accounting deadline.
Lowering organisational stress levels
Excessive workplace stress affects 42% of UK employees daily or weekly, causing health problems and reduced productivity. HR departments can address this through workplace changes and staff training, which also provides financial benefits by reducing sick leave and maintaining work quality.
Ask the Expert: What rights do staff have during performance reviews?
Employees have a statutory right to be accompanied by a trade union representative or colleague at disciplinary hearings, including performance review meetings that may result in disciplinary action. HR managers should ensure fair procedures are followed to support potential dismissals.
Plan in advance to cope with winter weather, warns ACAS
HR departments should prepare winter weather policies now to minimize staff shortages and disruption, ACAS advises. Key steps include clarifying pay expectations for weather-related absences, enabling remote work, and establishing clear sick leave procedures to handle increased winter illness.
Legal Insight: Surviving the Christmas party
Employers face significant legal liability during Christmas parties, where alcohol-fueled misconduct by staff can constitute harassment or discrimination “in the course of employment.” Courts interpret this broadly to include organized social events, and employers may also be liable for third-party harassment if they fail to address complaints appropriately.
Autumn Statement Preview: What to expect
Chancellor George Osborne will deliver the Autumn Statement on Tuesday 29 November at 12:30pm, with pressure mounting for tax changes and interventions to boost the struggling UK economy. The Office for Budget Responsibility will simultaneously publish its latest Economic and Fiscal Outlook amid downgraded growth forecasts.
Medical panel should sign off long-term sick, report recommends
An independent medical panel should decide long-term sick leave decisions instead of GPs, according to a new report. The recommendations aim to reduce the £13 billion annual cost of sickness absence by getting workers back to work faster, with an estimated 20% return-to-work rate.
