Eye care: What you need to know
Eye watering statistics from a recent survey reveal that a large number of British employers are failing to comply with laws obliging them to care for the eyesight of their computer using employees. Here we present a definitive guide to what you need to provide to employees and what their rights in this area are. […]
Ask the expert: Is depression covered by the DDA?
Martin Brewer and Esther Smith advise on whether depression is covered in this instance under the disability discrimination act. The question: Is depression covered by the DDA? I had been off work for some six weeks with depression. When I returned OH said that I was fit to work, without adjustments, but OH also said […]
Work-related illnesses cost UK economy £36bn
Although the number of staff who were fatally injured at work fell significantly last year, non-terminal illnesses caused by poor working practices cost the UK economy nearly £36bn. According to provisional figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), some 151 workers died in fiscal year 2009-2010, which equates to about 0.5% per 100,000 employees, […]
The eyes have it: looking after your employees’ sight
With computer screens increasingly used in people’s working lives it is vitally important that your staff have the eye protection they not only need, but are legally entitled to. Protecting employees’ eyesight against computer screen use is not just the law, it also makes good business sense. But despite that, Specsavers research has revealed […]
Sleepness nights for stressed workers
Three out of four UK workers are losing sleep because of work-related stress, while just over than half have no strong sense of belonging to their organisation. These are the depressing if unsurprising findings of several studies, which reveal the impact of the current challenging economic climate on the workforce. A survey undertaken among 6,000 […]
World Cup fever: Keep calm and carry on, says CMI
A management body has moved to calm employer fears that the World Cup could cost them £1 billion in lost productivity, but staff themselves are showing mixed responses as to whether they intend to put football or their jobs first. According to research undertaken by the Chartered Management Institute, some 54% of UK bosses are […]
Sickies cost economy £2.5 billion
Of the 180 million days that workers took off last year due to illness, 27 million or 15% were ‘sickies’, costing the UK economy a huge £2.5 billion. These are the findings of a study among senior HR personnel at 241 public and private sector organisations undertaken by employer lobby group the CBI and pharmaceutical […]
‘Recession stress’ costs employers £26 billion
Stress and depression cost employers £26 billion last year as staff felt compelled to work longer hours and compete against each other to keep their jobs as a result of the recession. According to a study undertaken among 2,050 workers by Populus on behalf of mental health charity Mind, this situation resulted in one in […]
Sleep: the elephant slumped in the corner of the room
If the proverbial elephant is like many employees in the UK it’s tired, exhausted and unable to perform at its peak, hence the slumping. Tiredness and fatigue is an increasing epidemic so much so that Professor Russell Foster of Oxford University recently described Britain as a “Zombie Nation.” The main cause of tiredness and fatigue […]
Extraordinary energy – the ultimate reward
How often to do we hear the phrase ‘there are just not enough hours in the day?’ A common complaint in the world we live in with ever more increasing demands on our time, focus, roles and commitments. How much time and investment do organisations place into time management programmes, effective delegation, work life balance […]
Will World Cup Fever affect performance?
Managers are worried that next month’s World Cup Finals in South Africa will lead to network challenges and a dip in employee performance. A survey by networking firm Blue Coat Systems has found as many as half of the IT managers contacted believe staff should be banned from streaming matches to their desktops in office […]
Boost profit with wellbeing and CSR
There is a direct link between employers’ profitability and investing in issues such as the health and wellbeing of staff and ethical corporate behaviour. These are the findings of research published by Business in the Community (BITC), a membership organisation with the remit of promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR). A study undertaken for BITC by Ipsos […]
Ask the expert: Disciplinary while off sick
How can we sort out disciplinary while the employee is off sick? John Brandon and Esther Smith advise. The question: I have an employee under an existing disciplinary sanction, who now has another ‘issue’ over capability and have asked them to attend another disciplinary meeting. They have responded by getting themselves signed off sick […]
Lawyer takes firm to tribunal after redundancy during sick leave
A former partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers has taken the firm to an employment tribunal over claims of disability discrimination after he was made redundant while on sick leave caused by workplace stress. Colin Tenner was a former equity partner, who specialised in public sector consultancy for the Belfast branch of the company. He attested to the […]
Energy boosting tips – perform at your best
To keep energised throughout the day it is important to keep your blood sugar balanced with the right healthy snacks and foods. If you are eating refined, sugary foods and snacks this will cause a short burst of energy and then soon afterwards you will feel depleted with a low mood too. Apparently everyone is […]
Five steps to wellbeing at work
We spend approximately 30% of our lives working, maybe more. It is a significant part of our lives that is intertwined with our mental and physical wellbeing. So instead of just thinking about how to improve wellbeing through weekend activities and holidays, employees can also take action to improve their wellbeing at work. Jody Delichte […]
Wellbeing – the crucial engagement factor
Do not underestimate the power of wellbeing when it comes to engagement and business performance, explains Ian Jameson. According to Best Companies’ survey of over 250,000 employees, almost 90% of employees who felt strongly negative towards the wellbeing aspects of their workplace said they would leave tomorrow if they had another job. Not a great […]
Presenteeism – there in body, but not in mind
Presenteeism – a term that describes the ‘working sick’ – refers to employees who are physically present in work but who are less productive due to difficulties they’re facing in their personal or professional lives, mental health issues or a physical illness. These circumstances can affect an individual’s quality of work as well as, depending […]
How to handle: Absenteeism and return to work
Successful absence management is about moving away from focusing on sickness to encouraging employees to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. Pamela Gellatly, chief executive of healthcare risk consultancy, Healthcare RM tells us why. The number of days lost through absence and the associated cost to UK businesses has been well documented. But […]
Ask the expert: Occupational health and stress
Matthew Whelan and Esther Smith advise on the role of OH in a ‘company caused’ stress case. Occupational health and stress Employee off work for six months with stress (consequence of work/bad management), attending MIND and Addiction Counselling treatment. How could Occ Health (with RGNs) offer help? They are not trained in mental health issues. […]
