Levels of long-term sickness in the UK are at a record high. In May 2023, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) reported that for every 13 people currently working,1 person is on long-term sickness absence from the workforce. The ONS commented that the underlying causes for the record levels of sickness was a rise in
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While social media is not especially new anymore (its first forms appearing in 1997), its sophistication, popularity and reach has grown at an astonishing rate over the years. We’ve moved from sharing our worlds through simple textual status updates, to showing it in all its glory via snappy, short videos. Many Employers still have a
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March sees the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan, the commemoration of Muhammad’s first revelation and lasts between 29 and 30 days depending on the sighting of one crescent moon to the next. Commencing on Wednesday 22nd March, through to Friday 21st April, Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is
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Menopause, including the years leading up to (peri-menopause) and the years after (post- menopause), has always been an issue for many women, with some suffering symptoms more than others, and potentially not fully understanding why or how to successfully manage them. Previous generations didn’t talk much about the menopause and the issues it often brought
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…A conversation that many of us would positively avoid as we feel it is such a personal and intimate bonding time between mother and child. However as an Employer this is a topic that needs to be discussed. Whilst having Policies with regards to breastfeeding in the workplace and providing facilities for breastfeeding can be
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With many organisations having moved to a work-from-home or hybrid arrangement for employees, beyond the general work discussions that take place on platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams, there remains a need for social connection, and while not the same as a conversation over coffee in the canteen, social media goes a long way
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Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, mental health issues were the most common causes of long-term sickness absence from the workplace in the UK. While we cannot yet determine the full impact of the pandemic on mental health, it’s safe to say that its effects will certainly outlive the pandemic itself. Currently the direct health impacts
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While attitudes towards gender equality have changed in recent times, even moreso since the #MeToo movement, sexual harassment in the workplace, while unlawful, still occurs with alarming regularity. What is Sexual Harassment? The Equality Act 2010 defines sexual harassment in the workplace as any behaviour, of a sexual nature, that is unwanted, offensive, intimidating
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The Fit Note (or its full title of ‘Statement of Fitness For Work’) provides information to employers on short-term and long-term health conditions affecting individual employees, and the likely length of time they will be absent from work. But in the age of Covid-19, where there are more genuine reasons for employees to be absent,
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As we approach the end of a year that was less of an escape from Covid-19 than we’d all hoped, having learned the multitude of ways that lockdowns affect different people, we have a greater awareness of the importance of accessibility and inclusivity when it comes to the workplace. Disabled people, whether in work or
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