UK small business ‘not prepared for disruption’
Although the majority of UK small-to-medium enterprises suffered business disruption due to adverse weather conditions, health or transport issues last year, nearly a quarter had no contingency plans in place to deal with the situation. According to a survey undertaken by telecoms provider Cable & Wireless Worldwide’s Demon Broadband, a huge 86% of respondents experienced […]
Sickness absence rates back at pre-recession levels
Absence rates due to sickness had returned to pre-recession levels by the end of last year, but in overall terms have fallen over the last decade, official figures have revealed. ____________________________________________________________ Download a free guide to absence management from Access here to discover ways to record and analyse absence___________________________________________________________ The Office for National Statistics found […]
How to: support dyslexic employees – spot the signs
Sharon Goldie, consultant at iansyst Ltd (www.re-adjust.co.uk), looks at how to recognise the signs of dyslexia and offers simple strategies which Human Resources can utilise to ensure they create a dyslexia-friendly workplace. What do Richard Branson and Steve Jobs have in common with Walt Disney, Salma Hayek, John Lennon and Pablo Picasso? In addition to […]
Creating a resilient workforce: management hold the key
Robertson Cooper’s research has shown that the amount of support provided by managers is related to how resilient people perceive their organisations to be. Of all working respondents, just over half (55%) felt that their manager provided either ‘a lot of support’ or ‘a fair amount of support’. Of those respondents who felt their organisation […]
Sickness review welcomed by employer bodies
The setting up of a sickness review as part of the coalition government’s benefits shake-up could “help shine a light” on the obstacles that currently prevent employers from supporting staff during illness and managing absence more effectively. The review led by Dame Carol Black, the government’s national director for health and work and a former […]
Risk in the workplace – the role of HR in helping to manage incidents
The number of costly injury claims against business has risen sharply but human resources can play a role in helping the organisation avoid risk of injury at work and associated fines, says expert laywer, Fiona Gill. In the past few years, the number of high value injury claims contested in the High Court has jumped […]
Tiny bikes set to save health of office workers
A portable mini-exercise bike used by office staff while working at their desks could help improve the health of those with sedentary occupations, according to US scientists. The researchers at East Carolina University argued in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that, while sedentary lifestyles were a serious problem as lack of exercise was linked […]
Breast cancer – what can employers do to help?
John Picken, Director of the health and wellbeing consultancy Shandwell, reviews the latest research on breast cancer and the implications for employers. It’s a startling statistic, but according to Cancer Research UK (CRUK) one woman in eight will get breast cancer. The risk increases with age yet this is not a condition that just affects […]
Defining resilience: what we can learn from resilient role models?
Resilience is becoming a common word in the HR community and an increasingly important and desirable quality for employees. In this article, we look at what resilience really means for individuals, the key components that make up resilience and explain why it’s important to learn from our resilient role models. Why is resilience important?Resilience is […]
Future looks bleak for employee relations
Deteriorating employee relations will be a hallmark of the year ahead as longer working hours for no additional remuneration, growing skills shortages and worsening relations with management lead to increased levels of stress and disengagement. According to a survey among 550 HR professionals undertaken by King’s College London and law firm Speechly Bircham, 46% saw […]
Pre-employment health questions – an FAQ
Last October the Government brought into force most provisions of the Equality Act 2010 (EqA). One of the more controversial aspects of this new law is turning out to be the prohibition on pre-employment health questions. The law is potentially a minefield and the Act itself is less than helpful, not even specifying what amounts […]
Tuesday, 10am – stress alert
A huge three quarters of workers regularly come to the end of their tether by 11.16am each day, but Tuesday morning at 10am is when they peak in terms of stress, according to research. A survey undertaken among 3,000 UK employees aged between 18 and 45 by recruitment agency Michael Page, revealed that, after staff […]
Ask the expert: AWOL or Sickness?
This time the experts, Esther Smith and Martin Brewer give their advice on dealing with an employee who appears to be AWOL… The question: AWOL or Sickness? A member of staff has been off sick since beginning of October. The last contact was via a "family friend" in mid November which was followed up with […]
Avoiding Blue Monday
In 1979 Bob Geldof complained that "I don’t like Mondays". So many people agreed with him that he went to the top of the charts. The fourth monday in January is “Blue Monday" and as such should be disliked above all other days because it has been declared the most depressing day of the year […]
Are you stressed at work?
Many articles on stress concentrate on what the stressed individual can do to relax, actively manage health, reduce the workload, re-arrange priorities and clear away small niggling jobs. All of which is, I am sure, good advice and would give temporary relief, which might just be enough to get a stressed person back on track […]
Stress and depression ‘no reason to take time off’
Employers are failing to take staff mental health issues seriously enough, with more than half claiming that anxiety, stress and depression are not good enough reasons to take time off work. According to a survey of 1,822 UK employers undertaken by online therapy and coaching marketplace Mentaline.com, a huge 64% did not consider anxiety as sufficient […]
Ask the expert: Work-related anxiety
This time the experts, Esther Smith and Martin Brewer give their advice on dealing with an employee away from work with anxiety and an eating disorder. The question: Work-related anxiety We have a junior member of office based staff currently signed off with “work related anxiety and an eating disorder”. The employee has been away […]
Don’t let snow stop your business
Much of the UK’s workforce ground to a halt at the beginning of the month in the freezing conditions that closed schools, rail links and airports. Mary Clarke offers some advice to help you plan ahead for the next forecast freeze. The Federation of Small businesses estimated that 10% of the UK’s 30 million workforce […]
How time flies…10 years of time and attendance
Today, flexible working and a greater work-life balance are real priorities for the modern worker rather than just a tempting bonus. To keep up with the changing expectations and demands of employees, businesses must begin to realise that time and attendance and workforce management systems provide critical support. With economic uncertainty and prolonged budget cuts […]
Depressed police officer should have been re-employed
In a case that raises questions over the extent of employers’ duties under disability discrimination legislation, an appeal tribunal has ruled that a police force acted unlawfully by refusing to reemploy an officer following her resignation. Sarah Jane Hinsley was suffering from undiagnosed depression when she quit West Mercia Police in January 2007, saying that […]