As an employer there are legal obligations which you need to meet to ensure the health, safety and well being of your staff. Jane Cordner, our HR specialist, takes us through some of these obligations.
These include:
- A common law duty to take reasonable care for the safety of your employee
- The requirement under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to provide a safe working environment for all employees. Work related stress comes under section 2 of the Act which states that employers must try to reduce stress in the workplace “as far as is reasonably practical”
- The Principles of prevention. Those relevant to stress are:
- avoiding risks;
- combating risks at source;
- developing a coherent overall prevention policy; and
- giving appropriate instructions to employees.
Penalties for not meeting these legal obligations are serious and can arise from claims for:
- Personal Injury
- Breach of Contract/Constructive dismissal
- Unfair dismissal
- Disability Discrimination
- Harassment under Protection from Harassment Act 1997
Knowledge of your responsibilities is advisable and further detail can be attained by following this link:
Managing health and safety - HSE
However, meeting your legislative responsibilities is just one part of managing your employee’s wellbeing. There are many benefits to be gained by building a culture that puts wellbeing at the heart of all you do and these include:
- attracting new people to the organisation
- engaging, motivating and retaining current employees
- creating a healthier and more inclusive culture
- reducing sickness absence
- improving performance and development
- improving productivity and success
The actions you can take to realise these benefits are wide ranging and include:
- reviewing your reward and recognition policies
- ensuring your culture is built on values and behaviours which appreciate and recognise your employees
- reviewing and improving your workplace environment
- providing proactive support to improve the physical health of your employees
- introducing strategies for managing stress and mental wellbeing, increasing knowledge and awareness and reducing stigma
- emphasising and building a strong team working culture to give a sense of belonging
- establishing good two-way communication to ensure employee involvement, particularly during periods of organisational change.
- investing in the growth and development of all employees
- ensuring there is a good work/life balance particularly through flexible working
- evaluating and constantly improving the culture and strategies in place
How we can help:
Our specialist team can undertake an audit of your current provisions and then develop a set of proposals for potential improvements. We can provide template policies and procedures to help your business.
The team can provide stress management training for senior managers and line managers and also awareness training for all staff. We can also help develop staff surveys to measure the success of strategies that have been implemented.
If you are interested in exploring these further and receiving support in taking a holistic approach to the wellbeing of your employees, please contact Jane or call our team on 01258 459361.
So, how can we help?
Whatever your requirements, our team is standing by.
Call us today on
01258 459361