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Welcome
Welcome to the latest issue of the Hayes HR Newsletter. Coming up this month we are going to be looking at Wellbeing; from why it’s important to invest in employee wellbeing through to providing some top tips on how you can help maintain your employee’s wellbeing. As well as this, we share some exciting news on our growing team, and we have the latest HR news. Finally, some key dates for your diaries. I look forward to speaking to you all soon. Jo World Wellbeing Week 26th– 30th June 2023 is World Wellbeing Week. Now in its fifth year, it is an opportunity not only for employers to demonstrate their own commitment to investing in employee wellbeing and appreciation for employees, but to highlight the importance of various elements that contribute to improving overall wellbeing. From mental and physical health, social and community, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to financial security - which is especially prudent given the current cost of living crisis. Investing in wellbeing has never been so pertinent. Couple this with other recent awareness dates such as Mental Health Awareness Week and Stress Awareness Month; and it’s clear that investing in your employee’s overall wellbeing should be high on your agenda and for good reason. It is paramount to improving not only your employees physical and mental health and happiness, but it has other proven benefits such as reducing staff turnover, avoiding burnout, and improving absenteeism. . What is employee wellbeing & why is it important? It can be defined as the state of your employees mental and physical, emotional and economic health, influenced by contributors both in and outside of the organisation. It encompasses factors such as stress levels, job satisfaction etc, work related business decisions and personal relationships. Employers have a duty of care to look after their employees (mental & physical) health, in order to do their job. The elements of wellbeing: The CIPD have identified 7 ‘domains’ of employee wellbeing as: 1) Health 2) Good work 3) Values/principle 4) Collective/social 5) Personal growth 6) Good lifestyle choices 7) Financial wellbeing They believe these 7 domains are ‘inter related’, and rightly so ‘that an effective wellbeing strategy needs to go far beyond a series of standalone initiatives’ (CIPD, R. Suff, Nov 2022, Wellbeing at work). Top tips to improve employee wellbeing: Developing a tailored mental health and wellbeing policy; training employees in mental health first aid, to a comprehensive benefits package (ideally including an Employee Assistance Programme, which includes counselling, financial and legal support) are just some ways to start creating your wellbeing framework. Other top tips include:
However, the key to its success will be creating a long-term investment to develop a culture that prioritises employee wellbeing at its core – from values based leadership, effective people policies, coaching, mentoring, and investing in career development, charitable days to fair remuneration packages, employee support and so on. The benefits for your business: Numerous studies show that employers who have invested into their employee’s wellbeing have higher levels of morale, productivity, performance, increased job satisfaction, loyalty, and engagement – and as such are more likely to recommend their employer to others. Overall, these factors play a significant role in improving company culture and creating an engaged, happy workforce. ‘Wellbeing’ shouldn’t be thrown around as the new buzzword or a ‘nice-to-have’, instead it should be at the core of the business – only then will its full value to an employer be unlocked. If you feel your organisation could benefit from discussing how to implement a wellbeing strategy or any other matters raised above, then please do not hesitate to get in touch. HR NEWS A recent article in HRNews (hrnews.co.uk, June 2023), highlights research conducted by Code First Girls and TTC stating that ‘Half of women in tech drop out by the age of 35’, adding to concerns about the growing digital skills and gender gap. The collaboration between Code First Girls - one of the largest providers of free coding courses for women and TTC (Tech Talent Charter) - a government supported industry led membership group of over 700 leading UK organisations who look to address the UK’s tech talent shortage, are providing recommendations to tackle the UK’s tech diversity crisis and talent shortage. The report, ‘D&I for tech leaders; How to hire, retain and progress women in tech’ is suitable for any employer looking to build a diverse culture where women in tech can thrive and is derived from data of over 600 organisations from the TTC signatory base and over 1200 women in the Code First Girls Community. Research conducted by a TTC Signatory, Accenture found that half of the women in tech drop out by age 35 stating inclusive culture as a key factor, and to improve retention many businesses are focusing on building an inclusive company culture, which encourages employees to feel safe, valued and satisfied in their role. Their report states that ‘According to Microsoft*, globally, there will be 149 million new jobs in software, data, AI, machine learning and cyber. UNESCO** tells us that by the same year, there will be 5.8 million newly skilled graduates qualified for these roles, 20% of which will be women. We, therefore, look to a near future where globally there will be one qualified woman for every 128 roles in technology. In the UK there will be 1 qualified woman for every 115 roles’. Their research also shows that women’s careers progress slower than mens due to stereotyping, maternity leave, family-life balance and double standards. They believe that organisations can empower women by investing in career planning and progression, having a supportive work culture, address stereotyping and bias and have a supportive senior leadership team to drive fair progression. Lexie Papaspyrou, Co-COO at Tech Talent Charter said: “If we are to make a difference in the fight for better gender diversity in tech, we must go beyond “just hire more women”. “We have a fantastic opportunity to grow the tech talent pipeline by tapping into new sources of talent and harnessing the skills already available, but businesses need to be informed on what this looks like in practice for their talent strategy. Our new report sets the bar for what it takes to attract, develop and retain women in tech, based on the efforts of hundreds of companies going through these challenges right now.” The full report can be accessed here and includes employer recommendations based on their findings. If you would like to discuss how to implement any of these recommendations or how to approach diversity and inclusion, do get in touch. MEET THE TEAM I am delighted to introduce you to two of my latest employees who have joined my team; Kim Hodgkiss who joins as Employee Experience Partner and Daisy Moss, who joins us as HR Administrator. Kim has a wealth of experience in senior level recruitment, team leadership, training, and development, in addition to co-founding a women’s network in her spare time. Daisy joins us having recently completed her A levels whilst working in administration and is now embarking on an exciting career within HR. We look forward to working with you all in the future and I wish them every success. KEY DATES FOR DIARY: 26th – 30th June – World Wellbeing Week 15th July - World Youth Skills Day London Marathon… done! I’ve done plenty of challenges in my time, but that was up there as one of the toughest! I’m delighted to share that from the generosity of over 70 individuals, I managed to raise a phenomenal £2,888 for SSAFA, the armed forces charity! And on a personal note, I set myself a challenge to complete the marathon in sub 4 hours; and my finish time was 3 hours 52 minutes! Thank you to everyone who supported me on this incredible challenge! What’s next? I have another gym competition coming up in July in London. This time a team event –Turf Games. This will be the second time I have competed in this competition which takes place at Ealing Rugby Club. I will let you know how I get on next month, wish me luck! ...and finally I’d welcome any feedback you may have and look forward to hearing from you soon. Jo
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