Modern slavery is not an elsewhere problem: evidence suggests its presence in every industry and it has an estimated 50 million victims globally, with at least 100,000 of these being within the UK. It is therefore important that we all have an understanding of modern slavery beyond recognising it as a term we’ve all skimmed past in our employment contracts.
Redundancy is something most employees will dread, but unfortunately it will happen to many of us at some point and can really knock your self-confidence. It’s very easy to feel overwhelmed, so we’ve compiled some tips to help you bounce back if you ever find yourself in this situation.
The UK, as well as many other countries globally, is currently experiencing a competitive job market, i.e. one in which there are more candidates seeking employment than there are available roles. The UK market has seen a concurrent rise in available workers and a fall in vacancies. The recently published August 2024 KPMG & REC UK Report on Jobs stated there is a continued decrease in vacancies – this is most marked in permanent job roles, whereas temporary vacancies actually experienced an increase for the second month in a row, so it’s not all bad news.
At this point most of us are familiar with the term burnout. In 2019 the World Health Organisation added it to their International Classification of Diseases as an occupational illness due to chronic, un-managed stress, and more recent news articles this month state that rates of burnout are projected to increase this year due to continued pandemic-related stressors. In its current, most widely used role, ‘burnout’ encompasses feelings of stress, emotional exhaustion, lack of energy or interest, and depression. Whether or not the terminology is correct, burnout signifies a major problem.
Pupils in England are required to remain in some form of education until they are 18. For the vast majority this will entail A-levels after GCSEs with the view to embarking on a university degree. Last year, over 50% of young adults continued to university education in September. However, lectures and coursework are not the only means to an education, and although this is certainly not suited to everyone irrespective of their intelligence, it is the default route we are herded towards as teenagers. Should so many of us be attending university, and what other avenues are available to the 50% who are left behind? Should pupils be driven towards university as the ultimate goal?
As any employer will know, in the UK there is a legal obligation to eliminate discrimination and allow equal opportunity in the workplace and this will encompass many categories such as race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexuality and disability. However, we should always strive to go above and beyond – not only is this the right thing to do but raising the bar in these areas will lead to a happier workplace overall. Happy employees are more productive and have greater job loyalty, so it’s a win-win! This post provides a brief overview to get started, along with a few perhaps lesser considered examples
Saving money and helping the environment at the same time seems like a no brainer. Many companies have seen their investments repaid manifold when working to increase their sustainability. When done correctly, morale is improved and also efficiency - for example, the World Green Building Fund found maximising natural light increases productivity by 15%!
Looking at mental health in the wake of Covid’s new ways of working: As vaccine passports open up more avenues and we wonder if we will ever be truly post-pandemic, the ‘new normal’ will have to be reviewed across companies and industry. Some companies are embracing home working with open arms on a longer-term basis, with lower overheads cited as a benefit as well as oftentimes increased productivity. Employees have been glad to see the back of lengthy (and costly) commutes, enjoyed the flexibility and felt workflow was equal at home as in the office - however there have been knock-on effects on employee wellbeing which we explore here
The intrinsic link between failure and success: it is human nature that we find failure difficult to talk or even think about – you don’t want to look it in the eye or linger. It is all too easy in the age of social media to believe our peers are thriving and achieving goal after goal behind the screen as well as on Instagram, when obviously this is not the reality. Success is a case of trial and error: encountering failures but choosing to learn from them. This entails some often uncomfortable self-analysis, but is also an immeasurably valuable learning opportunity if we choose to alter our mindset.
Helping and supporting our local businesses is even more important now that all the shops are open, as people may start to forget about them. Sometimes it takes seconds to help our local businesses and we do not even realise, but whether you want to spend money or not, we have found loads of ways that we can all support local high streets. It is so easy to go into a coffee shop chain on your lunch break to grab a sandwich and a drink, but ask yourself, isn’t it just as easy to walk into your local coffee shop and get lunch from there too? Here's Sheridan Ward's top tips to support local business
Teamwork within the workspace is probably the most important thing to have in an office. It is nice to know that when you go into work, you will be greeted by friendly, familiar faces. To put it plainly, teamwork is when different people/ groups across a business work together to maximise their efficiency and complete their goal. There are some amazing benefits to working as team, for you as an individual and for the big boss! This blog explains how this can be achieved
We have all been going through a global pandemic together and for some people this time of isolation has felt very lonely. The pandemic has affected day to day normalities for everyone and will have impacted many aspects of people's lives. The pandemic has also affected a lot of people's mental health whether they are actively in work or not. In this blog, there are some tips and tricks on how you can improve your mental health, as well as supporting your employees and colleague's mental health.