Use flexible working policies to minimise workplace-stress

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Technical nightmares are one of the biggest sources of stress in the workplace, so it is a good idea to have flexible working programmes in place. This way, if you lose email or the internet in the office, staff will be able to work from home without falling too far behind.

According to new research, internet and email blackouts are the most stress-inducing workplace catastrophes, with 31 per cent saying this gets them the most riled.

The poll of 800 workers by electronic cigarette maker ECigaretteDirect.co.uk identified an unrealistic workload as the second most aggravating thing on the list, with 18 per cent of people saying they never seem to have enough time to get everything done.

Some of the other causes of office rage included bad commutes (14 per cent), compiling year end accounts (11 per cent) and other people’s lateness for meetings (nine per cent). One in 12 even said that the biggest frustration in their working life was their boss, with six per cent saying it was clients that riled them up the most.

A spokesperson for the company said: “Many of us don’t realise how stressful the office environment can be as it just melts into the fabric of everyday life. However, it’s no surprise that internet malfunctions came top of the list.

“One crack in this delicate technology and an entire office can be brought to a complete standstill, with the potential to reduce a company’s output to zero.”

Some of the things on the list are part and parcel of office life and there will always be certain things to complain about.

However, companies should seriously consider doing what they can to remove the biggest sources of stress, as this is one of the leading causes of absence and costs the UK economy potentially billions of pounds a year in lost productivity.

National Work Wise Week highlights benefits of flexible approach

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The seventh annual National Work Wise Week takes place this week, with the aim of changing the way that UK businesses think about work.

Flexible working offers significant employee benefits, none more so than a more even work-life balance.

According to research by Virgin Media Businesses conducted alongside the week-long event, more than 60 per cent of employees will work from home at some point within the next decade.

What’s more, the way that meetings are held between clients and customers is also expected to change, with 72 per cent expecting face-to-face talks could soon become a thing of the past.

Tony Grace, chief operating officer at Virgin Media Business, said: “Businesses need to be more flexible about every aspect of the way they work. This will not only engage and motivate a workforce, but also allow a business to tailor how it communicates with its customers.

“There is no set rule for how people work best. Implementing home working strategies is one way businesses can become more adaptable and cost effective.”

Work Wise UK, which runs National Work Wise Week, is now calling on businesses to adopt more flexible working practices.

Rushing new mothers back into work ‘benefits no-one’

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Rushing women back into full-time work after they have given birth is bad for all parties involved, especially when there are opportunities to use flexible working to ease them back in.

According to UK parenting website Netmums, pushing women back into employment too quickly can be problematic for the baby, the mother and the firm involved.

Under plans unveiled in the Queen’s Speech last week (May 9th), parents will be provided with more flexible working opportunities under new family friendly laws.

Sally Russell, founder of Netmums, called for any changes to employment laws to include that women do not feel too pressured into quickly returning to work.

Such a move can limit the bond between mothers and their infants, with women unlikely to be as effective in the workplace if they are worried about their children and likely exhausted from sleepless nights.

“Care must be taken to ensure these new plans truly let individual parents work out what is best for their personal circumstances. If the government achieves this, it will have a more content and productive workforce and happier, more stable families,” she said.

For employers looking to take the initiative, childcare vouchers offer a great way to supplement flexible working opportunities for new parents.

As well as providing parents who are employees with a significant amount of money on childcare costs each year, these schemes are also very attractive for companies as well, thanks to the various tax breaks and National Insurance savings they offer.

These vouchers are usually offered in exchange for part of an employee’s wages – known as a ‘salary sacrifice’ scheme – and can impact on the amount of tax credits that parents are eligible to receive. However, it is estimated that these schemes can save parents with children up to the age of 15 more than £1,000 a year.

Flexible working ‘easy and beneficial to implement’

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Offering flexible working options to members of staff can be very straightforward to do and can have big benefits for both the members of the workforce and the employers themselves.

A report into flexible working carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that just four per cent of companies in the UK have had difficulty with introducing flexible working operations as they stand in current legislation for their workforce.

The Flexible Working: Provision and Uptake study found that small companies often have the least difficulty with implementing flexible working and as a result of this have seen three-quarters of their workforce using some sort of this employee benefit.

In fact, the study found that the smaller a company is, the more likely it is for their members of staff to gain the full benefits that flexible working can provide, with 90 per cent of micro firms and 78 per cent of small firms seeing members of staff working in this way.

However, the study also found that there are some forms of flexible working that are rarely being used.

While 32 per cent have seen an uptake in part-time working and 25 per cent have staff who use flexi-time, just five per cent have offered compressed hours.

In addition, only two per cent have tried term-time working and one per cent have job share operations in place.

Offering flexible working can have big benefits for members of staff, as it can help to keep them happy and secure in the job role.

In addition, workers who feel more satisfied with their work-life balance – which is something that flexible working can assist with – are more likely to feel engaged with their work and less inclined to report feeling stressed in the office.

Ben Willmott, CIPD head of public policy, said that allowing staff to work in this way can also have a range of benefits for the employer.

“More than seven out of ten employers report that flexible working supports employee retention, motivation and engagement. Almost two third of employers believe flexible working supports their recruitment activities, while half believe it has a positive impact on reducing absence as well as on boosting productivity,” Mr Willmott explained.

Mr Willmott also highlighted that the study showed that claims made when the legislation was introduced that offering such working practices would lead in a rise in the number of tribunal cases being brought forward have been unfounded.

As a result of the benefits strongly outweighing any negative issues, he stated that the government should ensure it rolls out the scheme to all employees.

The importance of offering employee benefits packages to members of staff was also recently highlighted by a study from Principal Financial Group and the Harvard Business Review Analytic Service, which showed that many of the top companies that offer packages to their workforce have seen a strong increase in their revenues and improved dividends over the past ten years.

These companies also echoed the view that providing benefits to staff will have a positive effect for the whole company, as 72 per cent said it had helped to make their employees more loyal.

Cycle to work scheme releases mobile phone rewards app

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A cycle to work programme that is encouraging people to change the way they commute has released a new mobile phone app.

Recyclebank has announced the release of its app re:route which is supported by Transport for London (TfL).

The app has been created to encourage more people to either cycle to work or to walk by offering them a series of rewards when they decide to forego the tube or the bus.

Each time people who sign up for the scheme make a journey on their bikes or walk, they will be rewarded with points.

As these accrue over time, they will be offered the chance to exchange them for a series of offers or discounts, with organisations such as Marks and Spencer and Champneys signing up.

The scheme has been created to provide an incentive for people to help actively reduce their personal CO2 emissions and improve their health.

Using the app, participants can track how much they have reduced their carbon footprint and how many calories they have burned off during each journey.

Jonathan Hsu, chief executive officer of Recyclebank, said they were excited to launch the programme in collaboration with TfL.

“What’s exciting about a next-generation city like London is that they are forward looking – seeking ideas to help connect physical and digital infrastructure and increasingly focused on the use of information and technology to create smarter, cleaner and better cities,” Mr Hsu added.

Ben Plowden, director of planning for TfL Surface Transport, added the group was happy to get involved as it could help to reduce congestion on the roads and could help during the Olympics, when it is expected the roads will be very busy.

Creating safer roads could help to encourage more people cycle to work, as a study from Brake found a third of people would consider riding a bike to work if they felt there was less risk involved.

European Court ruling clarifies holiday time for ill workers

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The European Court of Justice has offered clearer rules on giving holiday time to members of staff who have been off work due to ill health.

The judgement in the Neidel vs Stadt Frankfurt Am Main case delivered on May 2nd rejected the calls for a retired public servant who had been off work for a number of years on sick leave to have additional leave and to be able to carry over untaken holiday time across a period of nine months.

Upon reaching retirement, the claimant had called for payment in lieu of the holiday he had not been able to take across the years due to suffering ill health.

He had called for 86 days of holiday to be given but it was ruled this was too much as it went beyond the minimum annual four weeks that is allowed as part of the European Working Time Directive.

Earlier this year, a study by TravelSupermarket found 20 per cent of Brits are concerned about taking their full annual leave due to the negative impact it could have on their boss.

Teachers ‘support performance related pay’

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Plans to bring in a system of offering employee benefits to teachers based on their performance have been given support by those working in the profession.

A study carried out for the Sutton Trust of teachers has shown that three-quarters of respondents think that annual salary increases should only be linked to their performance.

The research saw 1,700 teaching professionals from 1,200 primary and secondary schools around the country interviewed as part of the study to assess the feeling among teachers about the plans of the government that would see the best performing teachers rewarded financially.

The Commons Education Select Committee published a report which put forward plans for teachers who offer the “greatest value” to the education of their students to be offered bonuses through recognition and rewards programme, as well as being offered sabbaticals which could be used to further their knowledge in certain areas.

In the study by the National Foundation for Educational Research it was found 52 per cent of teachers think they should be offered salary points annually, except in the instances where they are found to have performed poorly.

In addition, 39 per cent called for a stringent application of the rules, with only those who have been deemed to have performed well offered the financial bonuses.

When it came to assessing the performance of a teacher, two-thirds stated work should be judged by more senior members of staff, while around half said the progress and attainment of the pupils should play a part in deciding if they have performed well enough to be rewarded.

Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, said it is right that teachers’ pay should reflect their performance.

“We need to strike the right balance between attempting to improve the performance of poorly performing teachers through professional development and our responsibility to safeguard children’s right to being taught effectively,” Mr Lampl added.