Staff Management

New data shows that 60% of workers think their employers should help them with the cost-of-living crisis. With inflation set to pass 8% – impacted by the pandemic, rise in NIC, high energy prices and unrest in eastern Europe, this is leading to disengaged and unhappy employees considering an uncertain future.  We are increasingly shocked by reported figures of over 2.4 million adults going without food for a day because they can no longer afford to eat and 43% of…

Since the pandemic, working from home has become the norm for many of us. Before COVID 19, the official figures suggested that only 2.5% of the workforce worked from home, that figure rose to 60% during the pandemic and now has settled down at around 25% of workers – many employees deciding that they preferred to work from home.  But what a lot of people don’t know is that working from home still requires the same health and safety responsibilities…

National Stress Awareness month is an annual event which provides a great opportunity to not only raise awareness of the impacts of stress, but also ways to mitigate the negative side effects. This year the theme is Community as a lack of support can cause loneliness and isolation which can have detrimental impacts on mental health. At HR:4UK, we value our employees’ mental health and wellbeing which is why we are constantly harnessing the power of a positive workforce culture.…

If we don’t address the stigma, how can we expect to change the perception? On that note, let’s talk about menopause… We would like to thank Heather, our HR Advice Manager, for sharing her personal story so candidly, and allowing us to incorporate quotes within this article. Please click here to read Heather’s full story. Outline of Menopause  Menopause is a natural part of aging whereby a woman stops having menstrual cycles. This process does not occur overnight: periods usually start…

At the age of nineteen I was diagnosed with debilitating endometriosis and had been told many times that the only cure was a hysterectomy, but I could not give up on having a family of my own. Following two years of fertility treatment I was blessed with two little miracles, a dream come true I was a Mother at last. But that didn’t stop the demon endometriosis it was relentless, day after day, month after month as anticipated it did…

Returning to work after the long Christmas and New Year break can be an unpleasant shock to the system. Some employees may struggle to get back into a regular routine after what is for many a two-week holiday, and their mood isn’t helped by commuting to and from work when it’s dark, cold and dismal outside. We also have the unwelcome prospect of Blue Monday, which in 2022 falls on Monday 17th January. This day is said to be one of…

COVID-19 forced businesses into the greatest working from home experiment history has ever witnessed. Almost overnight, safety superseded productivity: businesses shut their offices to try and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Home offices were set up in the kitchen, living room, or garden shed and the phrase, “I don’t think your mic is on,” became common language in zoom meetings. Little did we know, this way of working would become the norm and despite practice, even today, we still need…

National Stress Awareness Day is an annual event which provides a great opportunity to not only raise awareness of the impacts of stress, but also ways to mitigate the negative side effects. At HR:4UK, we value our employees’ mental health and wellbeing which is why we are constantly harnessing the power of a positive workforce culture. According to the Health and Safety Executive, work-related stress is defined as, ‘a harmful reaction people have to undue pressures and demands placed on…

The emergence of COVID-19 forced many businesses to transition to a remote working model for many of its employees. Post-pandemic, businesses are now considering what their working model should look like. Should they continue with a fully remote working model? Should they return to what was in place pre-COVID? Should they integrate both into what is known as a hybrid working model? What is a Hybrid Working Model? A hybrid working model allows an employee to split their working week…

With the impacts of Long COVID still to be fully understood, how should you approach the implications it can have upon your business? While most who have suffered from the Covid illness have seen symptoms quickly pass, others have felt its symptoms lasting weeks or months after the illness has gone. But as an employer, for you, it always comes back to those questions. How do you handle the impact of Long COVID in your workplace and what does it…

Do you think twice before going to a public toilet? Do you go into the Men’s or Women’s? This can be a simple answer for most people. For certain people of the LGBTQ+ community however, this can be a complicated question. For example, a Trans person who is in the middle of transitioning genders or fully transitioned, would want to use a different bathroom to their gender listed on their birth certificate. Most people within the Trans community are happy…

As an employer, one of the main responsibilities that will fall under your duty of care will be managing a member of staff once they have informed you that they are expecting a child, a case that has recently come across my desk as one of my team informed me that she is expecting twins in the summer months. With our Operations Manager, Katie expecting the arrival of twins later this year, we are going to be sharing her journey,…

Remember to check your health and safety arrangements! With companies set to begin a phased return to the workplace, every company has a legal obligation to ensure that all of their health and safety arrangements and procedures have been reviewed and updated to reflect the change in circumstances. Providing health and safety advice to employers is among HR:4UK’s key services, and we’re delighted to be working with highly experienced health & safety, quality and environmental professional Lucy Walsh on the…

As coronavirus cases in the UK continue to rise, asking employees to work from home is one obvious measure you can take to try and protect your workplace and your employees. Homeworking, if the nature of your operation allows, will enable you to stay open for business while doing your bit to contain the spread of Covid-19. But, in practical terms, what will working from home mean for you and your employees? Is it sustainable, secure and cost-effective and how…

International Women’s Day celebrates the success and achievement of women in the workplace, and while the latest findings on gender diversity are indeed encouraging, there is still some way to go. Recent research suggests that those companies who employ more women in management roles enjoy higher profits and greater sales growth. Yet a separate study shows that two out of three board positions in Britain’s biggest businesses are still held by men. We look at why gender diversity is such…

As an employer, it is your responsibility to prevent bullying and harassment at work. Bullying can take many forms, so to stop it rearing its ugly head in your workplace, it is strongly advised that you implement a policy on bullying. ITV’s recent compelling drama, “Sticks and Stones”, written by Mike Bartlett, creator of Dr Foster, revealed just how insidious and nasty workplace bullying can be, and how situations can easily spiral out of control if employers fail to call…