Opinion – Page 4
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OpinionDebbie Coyne: Managing Euro 2024 and staff leave
With Euro 2024 football fever sweeping the country, employers are once again facing the age-old conundrum of balancing productivity and business operations with giving their staff the chance to watch their nation at a major summer tournament.Legally, employers are not obliged to provide time off for employees to watch Euro ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Knowing when to throw in the towel
How unwell do you have to feel before you call in sick to work? Presenteeism has always presented something of a conundrum for employers, as it can be tricky to assess which individuals really should not be working when relying solely on their word.While all organisations want to build an ...
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OpinionDeborah Warren: Supporting employees' mental health in the workplace
Employers have not only recognised the importance of employee wellbeing and mental health, but have begun to put it at the top of their people priorities list.All employers have a general, common-law duty to take reasonable care for the safety of their employees, including providing a safe place of work, ...
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OpinionHannah Pearsall: What are the benefits of having a strong wellbeing strategy in place?
It goes without saying that supporting employee wellbeing should be high on the agenda for all organisations. At Hays, improving employee wellbeing is a top priority, as we acknowledge that people can only reach their full potential if they are in a good place with their mental and physical health. ...
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OpinionNicola Shephard: What are the benefits of having a strong wellbeing strategy in place?
At Emcor UK, we believe that a robust wellbeing strategy is essential to our whole person approach, ensuring that we remain true to our purpose of creating 'A Better World at Work' and upholding our core values. We have strategically shifted wellbeing from health and safety to the people and ...
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OpinionLisa Redding: What are the benefits of having a strong wellbeing strategy in place?
Having a happy and motivated workforce forms the bedrock of any successful business, especially in hospitality where reputation and reviews are critical to driving long-term growth and in turn, creating exciting careers.Hospitality is a fast-paced and demanding industry which, at times, has had to battle with an image problem as ...
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OpinionIan Hodson: What role do employers have to play in helping employees work flexibly?
In reality, we have got to our new ways of working at an accelerated rate where the foundations of an operational infrastructure is being built for the 'house' that we are already living in. For me, the point to focus on is the aspect of flexibility as when we talk ...
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OpinionAndrew Rhodes: How to establish policies on belief and expression to avoid claims
With general election campaigning getting underway in the UK and US, as well as the continued culture wars all feeding into increased political polarisation, there is a considerable risk of disagreements spilling into the workplace.In response to this risk, employers should establish or review their internal policies on political beliefs ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Time to celebrate
Today (Friday 14 June) sees one of my favourite events of the year take place: the Employee Benefits Awards and Summer Party.Even though it feels like summer is yet to truly arrive this year, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to celebrate the fantastic work and achievements of so many ...
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OpinionVicky Schollar: What is the potential impact of changes to the fit note system?
It was announced in April that GPs may no longer be required to sign off fit notes and that responsibility will be passed to an unspecified healthcare specialist. What do the possible legal implications of this look like and what will be the impact on employees?A sick note, or fitness ...
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OpinionYvonne Gallagher: Striking the balance: the effect of industrial action on pay and benefits
The most powerful tool at the hands of the employee is the withdrawal of their labour, without which the business cannot function.Typically, industrial action takes place in relation to disputes over pay and benefits, but as we have seen in a number of disputes in the last year or two, ...
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OpinionConfessions of a benefits manager: Candid has problems getting an invoice paid
You might remember we recently implemented a new recognition platform. Early on, the supplier was organised enough to send a sample invoice so we could set up any necessary purchase orders. Well, you do not keep dogs and bark yourself, so I gave that task to my colleague Lazy Susan. ...
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OpinionBeth Brown: How does the lifetime allowance abolition impact employers?
The abolition of the lifetime allowance (LTA) in April came with implications that employers will want to be aware of. When the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the overhaul of the LTA in the 2023 budget, pension experts suggested it was unlikely the change could happen in the ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Engaging employees with sustainability
How engaged are employees with your organisation’s sustainability strategy? What role do they have to play in helping to achieve targets?Last week, we reported on Lego’s move to link a portion of its salaried employees’ bonus payments to annual emissions. Lego plans to expand this over time in order to ...
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OpinionHelen Watson: BBC equal pay case: implications for settlement agreements and discrimination claims
The BBC once again made the HR headlines following the news that four female presenters have lost their bid to take legal action against the corporation on grounds of equal pay. For employment law professionals, the case certainly poses an interesting challenge, with it being revealed that equal pay issues ...
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OpinionRena Magdani: How does flexibility help with recruitment and retention in a challenging climate?
With recruitment difficulties set to continue, businesses need to attract applicants and retain staff as best they can. Embracing flexible working could make a business more attractive in a difficult climate. Flexible working is one element employers can control in terms of the talent pool; the time to act is ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: How can we further open up conversations around mental health?
As Mental Health Awareness Week draws to a close, what can we take away from this?Events of the last few years, such as the cost-of-living crisis, have impacted many individuals’ mental wellbeing. Research published this week by financial wellbeing platform provider Wagestream found that 54% of the employees surveyed said ...
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OpinionAndy Williams and Chelsea Feeney: Looking after employees’ mental wellbeing at work
The turbulence of the last four years has caused an increase in mental health issues. This has translated into employers seeing rising numbers of employee absences due to poor mental health. This is why it is more important than ever for employers to not only recognise when an employee is ...
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OpinionSamantha Dickinson: How to build and support a healthy workforce
Stress is an inevitable part of life. In the workplace it can build resilience, pushing individuals to adapt and perform under pressure, which leads to personal growth. However, when stress becomes overwhelming it leads to decreased productivity, burnout and debilitating health problems. Recognising and managing employee stress levels is crucial ...