The World Health Organisation has been saying for a long time that companies that protect and promote their employee’s health are the most successful and competitive and have a better rate of employee retention.  

 

With that in mind, here are some easy ideas to help you change your workplace to make it healthier and more productive... 

I know that workplace health and safety practices have improved greatly in recent years but there is still much to do, especially when making risk assessments. 

 

Firstly, let me tell you what risk assessments are not: they are not a mass of paperwork.  

 

A risk assessment involves identifying possible situations that may arise in the workplace that could cause harm to people. Once identified, a formal documented procedure should be put in place. 

No doubt you have heard about the BBC’s announcement that they intend to reduce the salaries of some of their male presenters by up to 30% to try and eradicate the gender pay gap. This is an extremely unusual step for an employer to take and may prove to be full of risks. 

The legal position is that an employer cannot impose a wage cut on their employees if they have an employment contract setting out details of their salary. Any such decision will have to be with the agreement of the employees concerned. They are not obliged to give their consent and may take legal action to prevent the change. 

You may be aware that working at height is one of the biggest factors in the fatalities and injuries that take place in the workplace. Common accidents are falling from height or falling through fragile surfaces. 

 

Here are some sensible do's and don’ts to combat the potential hazards. 

I know it's the season for jollity and japes at the office party and I don’t want to get all ‘bah, humbug’ on you, but as an employer you should be aware of your responsibilities to avoid a serious hangover come the New Year. 

Connor, our Health & Safety Coordinator, has been hard at work with his studies in recent months and is seeing the rewards for his efforts. 

 

Firstly he has completed the CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS). The Construction Industry Training Board was first established in July 1964 and has been providing training for the construction and civil engineering industries ever since. 

 

The SMSTS is run over 5 days and provides an understanding of health, safety, welfare and environmental issues on construction sites. 

Now we have reached October, the fireworks season is almost upon us. 

 

The NHS announced in 2016 that there had been around 4,500 reported cases of people attending hospitals with firework-related injuries, many of whom were children, so here are our 10 top tips for enjoying a safe firework display... 

A recent case of unfair dismissal was upheld and caught our eye because of comments concerning the lack of knowledge of employment law and good practice of the company directors involved. 

 

Leicester Employment Tribunal heard that Lancaster & Duke is an employment agency but a relatively small business with two directors. Vicky Wileman was a recruitment manager at the firm but had been dismissed in September 2016 for ‘gross misconduct’. Her behaviour was described as that of a ‘playground bully’. 

 

Nevertheless, she had her claim for unfair dismissal upheld and was awarded £7,684.34 in damages. 

I recently came across a study by Capita Resourcing that found that, despite the over 50s now making up a third of the UK workforce, 74% of older workers felt employers don’t do enough to recruit them. 

 

The researchers received contributions from 1,000 workers over 55 together with 100 senior HR professionals. 

 

Over one third of the workers (39%) said that they had experienced bias towards younger members of staff in the workplace and 73% felt employers are not doing enough to tap into their knowledge and skill sets.