The Insider Issue Five

The Insider Issue Five

Mental HEALTH in THE WORKPLACE ...Keeping an open door HE INSIDE ISSUE FIVE

ESTABLISHING A WORK/LIFE BALANCE

The pressure of an increasingly demanding work culture in the UK is perhaps the biggest and most pressing challenge to the mental health of the general population. Nearly two thirds of employees have experienced a negative effect on their personal life thanks to their demands at work, including lack of personal development, physical and mental health problems, poor relationships and poor home life. People spend the majority of their time in work, and the extent to which a job can affect personal wellbeing cannot be understated. With the cost of replacing staff lost due to mental health conditions reported to be £2.4bn per year in the UK alone, it makes sense for employers to help their employees combat the illness and build a culture of acceptance and support. It therefore comes as no surprise that governments and companies around the world are looking at ways to ensure the wellbeing of their employees. France’s labour reform bill has been highly controversial but there is one part of it that is undisputed – the ‘right to disconnect’ clause. Companies of more than 50 people will be obliged to draw up a charter of good conduct, setting out the hours – usually in the evenings or on weekends – when staff are not supposed to send or answer emails. US insurance giant AETNA pays their employees bonuses for getting a good nights’ sleep. Employees were given sleep monitors and, for every 20 nights’ good sleep an employee gets (over 7 hours), they are given $25, up to a maximum of $300 a year.

A company cannot remain productive and profitable if their employees are mentally exhausted.

Here are four simple steps a company can take to ensure their employees maintain a good work/life balance:

• Have defined working hours. Ensure that employee workloads are manageable within these time constraints. • Encourage a culture of openness. Employees must feel able to speak up if the demands placed on them are too great. • Train managers to recognise the signs of stress and a poor work/life balance in employees. Know the effects that stress can have on a person and put preventative measures in place. • Put in place policies that acknowledge the links between work-related stress and mental health. Regularly monitor and evaluate polices against performance indicators ie. Sickness or staff satisfaction. Our training gives employers the knowledge and skills to address issues that employment can have on a person’s mental health, whether this is directly or indirectly linked.

Call us today on 0161 785 2000 to find out how we can help look after the mental health of your employees.

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WARNINGS FROM THE HUMAN SEISMOGRAPH Often the issues that lead to conflict will have been rumbling for a considerable period of time and, no matter what the outcome of a grievance procedure, employees can still feel aggrieved. This can lead to damaging aftershocks in the workplace.

grievance with their employer and are going through the grievance process, and will simply look for another job. Even if their grievance is resolved and their employer finds that they were being treated unfairly, they may find it difficult to shake off the feeling of having their employment soured - particularly if they suspect that the problem could reoccur. In addition, employers will have already invested thousands of pounds worth of time, revenue and effort into recruiting every member of staff; training and developing them into their role so it is a great shame that conflict is sometimes allowed to breed, causing good staff to leave. In a grievance procedure, both parties can leave feeling the outcome is one of winners and losers and the manager conducting the grievance was a biased referee.

When an employee is faced with having to explain a grievance to an employer they are in effect saying; ‘Why haven’t you noticed all this going on?’, ‘Why have you let my colleague harass me?’ and ‘Why have you let the atmosphere in that particular department get so very bad?’ They are effectively looking for someone to blame for having to go through the procedure.

Many employees find it difficult to continue working in an emotionally hostile or abusive atmosphere once they have raised a

It’s a common experience for employees to only use the grievance procedure as the absolute final straw. From their perspective they think they have to put up with a lot - whether it’s harassment or unfair treatment by an employer - before they even get to tribunal stage. Employees embroiled in a grievance procedure can often feel like the focus is on the process, rather than the individual bringing the complaint, as the cogs of the law and procedure inexorably turn. Best practice here dictates that employers try to deal with conflict in the workplace before matters proceed to tribunal, however ‘prevention is better than cure’ more accurately reflects the role of mediation. Hopefully with the aim of constructive

dialogue, both parties can reach their own resolutions. Sometimes all the aggrieved employee is looking for is an honest, sincere and heartfelt apology from the individual. This will not be the outcome of a tribunal, but could be the result of the mediation process. In many cases of workplace grievances, the employee bringing the complaint can feel a lack of connection to the outcome of any investigations which the employer makes on their behalf. Due to workplace confidentiality they cannot be told what disciplinary action is being taken against the offender, if any.

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In order to work towards a solution that is fair and just for all, mediation may be suggested in order to encourage the two parties to be open, honest and transparent. That way they are invested in the outcome and attempt to reach their own resolution to the problem, with the support of the company. Good news travels fast but bad news travels even faster. In these days of instant communication through social media, uncertainties and dissatisfaction in the workplace can be a rallying call to the different factions involved in disputes. In cases where mediation is not applied, and the outcome is not transparent for the employee bringing the complaint, the inevitable round of office rumours may arise. Any uncertainty that the employee has about the outcome of disciplinary action for the person they’ve raised a complaint against can be just as unsettling to the office environment as the initial problem itself.

Since raising a grievance is very stressful, employees are already under a great deal of pressure. It’s not simply a case of feeling immediate relief that they’ve told their employer, because they will still be resentful that their employer has let things get to the stage where they feel this way in the first place. At ELAS we offer workplace mediation – an effective alternative to workplace disputes - as well as the traditional approach to grievances. Our professional mediators aim to resolve any disputes your employees may have before they reach a formal grievance or an employment law tribunal. By incorporating mediation into your company’s grievance procedure you will be avoiding costly legal fees, whilst creating a happier and more productive workforce.

For more information on our mediation service, call us today on 0161 785 2000.

CONSULTANT CORNER. . .

I want to implement a dress code policy, what do I need to consider?

There are three steps a company needs to consider when looking at dress code policy.

STEP 1 – What are you trying to achieve? The recent case of a London receptionist who was sent home for not wearing high heels has brought this issue to light in recent weeks. In a sophisticated, smart environment, it can be argued that high heels add to professional appearance; however could the same be achieved with formal flat shoes? The most important thing in your workplace dress code policy is that it must be reasonable and needs to be applied equally to both men and women in a similar job role. Whilst you would never ask a man to wear high heels, you could require them to wear a tie.

STEP 3 – Dress code should be balanced with other considerations such as health and safety - not just in the workplace but also for the person wearing it. You wouldn’t expect someone to wear a tie around fast moving dangerous machines. Equally, forcing someone with a disability to wear high heels might exasperate conditions surrounding their disability. To ensure that your business’s dress code policy is up to date and complies with all current legislation, call ELAS today on 0161 785 2000

STEP 2 – Is what you are doing proportionate to what you are trying to achieve, or are you going over the top?

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FOOD SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYTEMS, DOES YOURS MEASURE UP

It is a legal requirement to have a documented food safety management system based on HACCP principles. It may be that you have a system that gets you by and ticks the box when it comes to your EHO inspection – but is your system as effective as it should be? If there were an incident and your system was dissected by your EHO, would it stand up to scrutiny to the extent that it could be relied upon to help keep you out of court? Here are the ideal features of a documented food safety management system: 1. USER FRIENDLY With working lives that are busier than ever, who has time to wade through pages of complicated, wordy waffle? The clearer, more concise and easy to read your system is, the more likely it is to be read, understood and ultimately implemented by your team. Policies and procedures should be spelled out in black and white, avoiding grey areas which could be open to interpretation.

The document needs to be consistent throughout to avoid any confusion.

Our approach to our food safety management systems and HACCP development here at STS is to keep things simple yet safe. 2. TAILORED TO YOUR OPERATIONS Generic, off the shelf, ‘one size fits all’ food safety systems are all too common. Your system should reflect what can, and should, happen in practice within your operations. The system should be realistic, practical and fit your operations like a glove. The extent of the system depends on the nature and size of the operations i.e. a cook chill production unit will be more detailed and complex than a small restaurant i.e. cook serve. We stand out from the crowd because our food safety management system is bespoke to your business needs. We understand the importance of having something designed to suit you perfectly, and pride ourselves in avoiding the traditional ‘off the shelf’ approach.

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3. COMPREHENSIVE All aspects of your food operation should be covered by the documented system. Infrequent events such as BBQ’s or hospitality; cooking methods like sous vide; and specific policies e.g. for eggs; are aspects which are commonly found to be missing. Failure to produce a comprehensive system could leave you at risk if an accident occurs in an area which is missing from your documented system. To get a thorough understanding of what your business needs from a food safety management system, we look at your food service provision from raw material purchase right through to your final service, ensuring no stone is left unturned. 4. STRIKES A BALANCE Do you really want unnecessary monitoring forms and staff spending valuable time logging superfluous information? Monitoring forms should strike a balance – they need to capture necessary information for management and due diligence purposes, yet not be overly onerous. Our food safety management documentation is clear, concise and jargon-free. We provide you with comprehensive not overbearing record keeping systems to ensure you maintain due-diligence at all times.

5. UNDERSTOOD BY YOUR TEAM It is pointless having a decent documented system if your team is not aware of relevant content. The system must be communicated; this can be achieved through training, supervision, staff meetings, posters etc. Make the documented system easily available, whether it’s in hard or electronic form, and encourage your team to use it for reference purposes. At STS, our award winning training offers courses in both Level 2 and Level 3 HACCP development; ensuring your team know exactly what is involved when implementing and meeting legal requirements. 6. UP TO DATE Changes occur over time which means your systemwill need review. It may be that you have introduced new production methods that need to be addressed in your HACCP, perhaps your training policy has altered or your system needs updating in line with new legislation or guidance, such as that issued recently by the Food Standards Agency regarding E-coli 0157. We annually update your food safety management and HACCP systems, ensuring you have peace of mind knowing you will always be compliant.

For more information on how you can have a food safety management system tailored to your exact needs, call us today on 01252 728 300

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THE WAIT IS OVER...

THE ALL NEW STS WEBSITE IS HERE! Created with you in mind, we’ve made it more user friendly and easy to navigate with informative content and an eye catching design. Your feedback helped make these changes, ensuring you receive the best user experience possible.

We hope you like it as much as we do!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

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From a s l i t t l e to a s much suppor t a s you need . . .

Ca l l or ema i l us to d i s cus s your opt i ons

T: 0161 785 2000 E: [email protected] or visit www.elas.uk.com