advocate Magazine Winter 2021

advocate the magazine from the UK’s leading business advisory

cover feature

who are the ‘best of the best’ page 08. employee benefits: a recuitment afterthought? page 22. into 2021: the hr year ahead page 12.

Issue #36 winter 2021

Employee Benefits

HR & Training

Payroll

Private Clients

advogroup.co.uk | who we are

who we are & what we do... advocate magazine is produced by advo and published quarterly. advo is an award winning business advisory with a focus on people and technology and includes advo group companies including Sagegreen HR. Our aim is to deliver essential services with added value, a philosophy to be different and invaluable.

Our business technology platforms are standalone or linked, delivering corporate style benefit management and communication to SMEs and smaller corporates, a unique proposition.

Our clients have dedicated account managers with smaller portfolios allowing active account management, and better understanding of client needs.

As an IIP Gold employer we continually update staff knowledge to ensure we can integrate and apply the best of new thinking.

For general information, and/or to join our online community, please follow http//issuu.com/advogroup.

Speak to us for: • • • • • •

xiaohui Shi payroll administrator

UK and overseas employee benefits employee benefit, HR and payroll technology platforms staff support, wellbeing and wellness programmes HR consultancy and support payroll & auto-enrolment solutions private client protection insurance

t: 01622 769210 e: info@advogroup.co.uk w: advogroup.co.uk

advo supports

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk |02

advogroup.co.uk | what’s inside issue #36

what’s inside issue #36 Welcome to 2021, and welcome to our winter edition of our advocate magazine.

Since bringing into the advo group the Sagegreen HR employees and HR Franchise businesses last year this has allowed a considerable expansion of both local reach and HR expertise. We put this new expertise and experience to good use in an article that looks ahead to 2021 and predicts some of the HR ‘highs and lows’ for the year ahead.

We also include an article written

by Alison Gill, who heads up the HR teams which summarises the current rules and restrictions for businesses.

In addition, there is useful guidance on managing people, including where there may be conflict between employees and the business due to the pandemic and how to manage the increasingly blurred work and home lives of employees working remotely. There is also

an interesting article looking at HR challenges from the HR and business owner’s perspective.

We also look at managing staff holidays, a lockdown knock-on challenge.

Looking at recruitment issues, we include an article on the promotion of employee benefits and how these valuable recruitment tools are often forgotten in the hiring process.

We also focus on the value of an employee assistance programme.

In advo news we update you on what’s new with us, including our new people and people moving to new roles within the group.

We also highlight the expanded services and support offered by the advo hr team. In our annual ‘Oscars’ we recognise advo’s ‘best of the best’ by highlighting our advo staff award winners.

Remember that all past editions of our advocate magazine are free to read online at issuu.com/advogroup.

meet the advo team For more information visit www.advogroup.co.uk

larry bulmer

gill mateo

kevin crew

lucy pearce

it director

commercial director

colin boxall

Larry founded advo in 1997 and leads the group across all advo companies

Gill joined advo in 2006 becoming Operations Director in 2013 overseeing the smooth running of advo.

Kevin oversees our award winning online service and is further developing staff, HR and Payroll platforms.

Lucy oversees advo’s connected proposition bringing together payroll, hr and employee benefits.

Colin joined advo group’s board in 2008 and has over twenty five years sector business experience.

lbulmer @advogroup. co.uk

gmateo @advogroup. co.uk

kcrew @advogroup. co.uk

lpearce @advogroup. co.uk

cboxall @advogroup. co.uk

ceo

operations director

executive director

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 03

advogroup.co.uk | contents

contents

ISSUE #36 | winter 2021 advo news Page 06

| advo news roundup

Page 08

| advo annual award winners revealed

advo news roundup page 6.

hr news & updates where we are right now, an update

Page 10

|

Page 12

| into 2021, professional insights into the comming year

Page 16

| the forgotten, lockdown challanges from the employer perspective

Page 18

| work coronavirus conflict, tackling the conflict COVID brings to the workplace

Page 20

| bounderies between work & home becomming increasingly blurred

Page 22

| employee benefits: an afterthought during recruitment process

Page 27

| holiday planning

on latest rules for employers

emplyee benefit updates Page 26

|

employee assistance programmes, do you know their worth?

Health & other news Page 24

|

the science behind long-term stress

page 28

|

dying of embarassment

into 2021: predicting the HR year ahead page 12.

advocate winter 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 04

advogroup.co.uk | contents

advo annual awards. See who is the best of the best’ page 08.

the forgotten keeping the country working page 16.

where we are now

page 08.

dying of embarrassment page 28.

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 05

advogroup.co.uk | advo news

new staff magazine advo h The week of the first lockdown advo launched it’s first staff weekly newspaper. There had previously been regular staff updates but nothing that was specifically designed to bring people together now we are all working apart. When advo launched a newspaper with the aim of keeping all remote staff connected and highlight that there was some good news in the world in amongst all the doom and gloom and it was not imagined that nearly a year later it would still be a useful and popular benefit to staff. With the onset of a new lockdown, the 32nd issue relaunched as the ‘ADVONIAN’ magazine, a permanent fixture within the advo group of companies The magazine has expanded its remit to keep everyone informed about the group as a whole and not just focus on the good news, but all the news and advo business updates.

advo’s 2021 charity partner

advo has again selected Porchlight, th based homelessness support organisat their charity of choice for the commin

Each year advo staff choose the com charity of choice for the year. There w feeling that with the lockdown the mo raised last year was below expectatio so we are keen to get back on track. M raising and team building events have been planned including a sponsred sle

Kate Boulding, Porchlight Corporate Partnerships Manager

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 06

Goeorgina Cook from Porchlight com “Happy New Year to everyone at adv are excited to work with you as your c this year. Because of your support we bring more people in from the cold int warm accommodation. Your donation do more than pay for a bed and a ho they will be used to help rebuild peop Her colleague Kate Boulding added “ continue to work hard into this new ye everything we can to ensure that peo are already struggling to get by are no further into poverty. From all the staff a at Porchlight, we’re so grateful for you https://www.porchlight.org.uk/

advogroup.co.uk |advo news

hr expands reach & services The bringing into the advo group the Sagegreen HR employees and HR Franchise businesses last year has allowed a considerable expansion of both local reach and HR expertise. advo were also fortunate to secure Alison Gill as the HR manager for both the advo hr and Sagegreen HR teams. Alison is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development and worked in senior positions within the HR profession for over 25 years bringing considerable experience. Sagegreen HR will move completely into advo branding shortly.

The lockdown support for existing and new clients has been extensive helping employers and their staff navigate the new rules and challenges with practical hands-on support with furloughing partnering with employee benefit and payroll teams. The current initiative, Crisis Support, delivers additional support or direct intervention helping SMEs in managing redundancy and business restructuring. advo received national recognition and praise in the 2020 Health & Protection Awards for the group’s response to supporting both it’s employees and clients during the COVID pandemic.

alison gill advo hr manager

he Kent tion as ng year.

mpany’s was a oney ons and Money e already eep out.

mmented vo. We charity can to safe, ns will ot meal, ple’s lives.

“We will ear, doing ople who ot pushed and clients ur help.”

The establishment of new services within the HR companies includes the expansion of Recruitment support for clients including end-to-end process with much more reasonable fee structure than the wider recruitment market. advo has considerable experience with successful recruiting. The expanded end-to-end service includes online recruitment portals, covid compliant video screening and interviewing and psychometric testing.

Post lockdown advo will continue to practice what it preaches with the formal introduction of an element of flexible/balanced working with a continuation of task-based, rather than hours-based working, this will allow better support for those employees with outside work commitments such as childcare.

people moves... advo has continued to recruit despite lockdown and has a number of new starters which has in turn allowed internal moves and promotions within the group. From January advo are joined by three new members of staff working within Corporate & SME Account Support teams. The January starters join other new staff in IT and the HR team. advo has the policy of recruiting from within wherever possible and so the new recruits have enabled promotions for Anabelle Hennon who moves across to become a Micro-Account Manager, Charlene Raman as an SME-Account Manager, Diana Rufai-Shittu to Corporate Account Support and Christina ‘Cricket’ Brookfield to a newly created position, working within the Operations department as a Compliance Administrator. Mal Tomlins has moved from Business Developement Manager to advo’s Operations Manger.

On moving to her new role Anabelle commented that she is “really looking forward to finally going into my new role. It will be very different as I can see most of the training being virtual and not in person but very excited to be learning new things.” Cricket who has moved into compliance said “I cannot wait to get my teeth into my new role. I’m eager to start the training, I love learning things, I’m also looking forward to dusting off some skills I have not used for a while! Diane, who will be overseeing a new portfolio of clients said she was “looking forward to building new relationships with clients in my new role and continuing to grow and develop within advo.” Colin Boxall, advo’s Executive Director welcomed the new people and congratulated the people moving into their new roles, also commenting “the lockdown has had a knockon effect and we have had to be adaptable moving to fully virtual learning, which has been challenging given the complexity of some of the new roles. Congratulations to all.”

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 07

advogroup.co.uk |advo ‘oscars’

advo annual award winners announced The advo group hosted their annual employee awards to highlight those staff that have gone above and beyond what would be expected. It has been a tough year for all businesses and so it has been harder than ever to select the ‘best of the best’ given that all staff had risen to face the new challenges of 2020.

The advo awards, called our ‘Oscars’ by staff are held at the end of each year. The categories change slightly depending on the trading conditions and particular challenges of that year. Most of the Awards are voted on by staff who select who they believe has stood out from colleagues. The Star of the Year is chosen from nominations from managers and selected by general consensus from the Management Team.

Both the Advonian of the Year and Star of the Year attract a healthy ‘cash’ award.

This year the nominations for STAR OF THE YEAR were spread across the whole group with Sarah Mallins from advo payroll, Bianca Le Fevre, an account Manager and Chloe Luff who works in the administration support team.

though” “she is very accurate and doesn’t drop the ball” “she remains composed and has absolutely lovely feedback from clients” “a great mediator” “she provides support to colleagues”. “she is a swan”.

On winning the award Sarah said “The advo Oscars was a lovely end to a difficult year and I was blown away to be singled out from such a fabulous bunch of people!”

The runners up for Advonian of the Year were Simon Friday, an Account Manager, Mal Tomlins, Operations but it was Bianca Le Fevre who received the top spot.

Comments from her colleagues included “works hard and level headed” “always seems to impress people outside the business” “She’s has a very heavy workload but always finds the time to be lovely, funny and approachable”” always positive and willing to help” “always getting involved and fun to work with” “the definition of an advonian”

From Left: Sarah Mallins, Bianca Le Fevre & Chloe Luff

All would have been worthy recipients but this year Sarah Mallins was named STAR OF THE YEAR. Comments from the Directors included “never flustered or shows frustrations” “she simply ploughs From Left: Mal Tomlins, Simon Friday & Bianca Le Fevre

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 08

Bianca w commen advonian feeling kn promote a few we ideal, the firsts for m helping m apprecia

The ADVO clear win recognis high stan homewo the IT tea have bee “They ha the unsun “Can’t fa “Undoub toughest

The awa was new received doing so so bubbl business to every “I feel tru friendly a to all cur

Lucy said overwhe be recog staff at a very fortu award up and it’s a touching inspiratio simply ca than tha to work w extraordi wonderfu

This Year year’s ‘B new IT m about La

advogroup.co.uk | advo ‘oscars’

was surprised on winning the award and nted “I was genuinely shocked to win n of the year, however it’s such a lovely nowing my colleagues voted for me. Being ed to a mid-corporate account manager eeks before a national lock down was not ere was so much I didn’t know and a lot of me but the team have been so supportive me throughout the year, and I really, really ate it.”

O TEAM OF THE YEAR was the IT Team, a nner and a popular choice, they were sed for ensuring the company kept its ndards throughout lockdown and made orking possible for all staff. Comments for am included “Without doubt we would en absolutely screwed without them” ave done an amazing job” “Our team are ng heroes” “They have been exceptional” ault them and their hard work!” btedly, they have had it the t this year”

From Left: Will Kellett, Kevin Crew, the advo IT Director, Andrew Jarrett & Lewis Rundle

has really made a difference” “always takes on anything given to her” “She organised a quiz night without meeting the majority of people who attended, what a woman!!! “I’ve never met her but I think I love her” “She’s so supportive and is always there when I need her help” “! Laurens’ ‘we’ve got this’” “she’s so committed to working so hard” Lucy Irvine won the award for OUTSTANDING SUPPORT DURING LOCKDOWN with comments from colleagues that included “really has made a difference to our team and to me personally” “open and honest and keepin’ it real” “so supportive” “super reassuring when I needed it” “the voice of reason during lockdown and been a massive help” “checks in with us to make sure that we are okay” “a brilliant Manager” “All in all, she is great!”

The OUTSTANDING SUPPORT DURING LOCKDOWN and SERVICES TO MORAL were won by Colin Boxall for the internal staff communications including the ADVOGOODNEWS Magazine which helped keep everyone in touch. There were many comments but all were summed up by “Colin has done such an amazing job, continued to give everyone a boost, a smile whilst reminding we are in this together”

The POSITIVE ATTITUDE AWARD had two joint winners, Mal Tomlin with comments such as “Such an uplifting person” “she has such an optimistic ard for the MOST INSPIRATIONAL PERSON attitude and I love her fun loving way” “My days wly confirmed Director, Lucy Pearce who have lightened up thanks to her” “I’ve only ever d comments including “She seems to be seen her happy and smiling” “always so positive o many things all at once as well as keeping and it’s so refreshing” “a natural ability to turn a ly” She is so passionate about driving the negative into a positive”. The second POSITIVE forward and gives her absolute everything ATTITUDE AWARD winner was Jenny Durling. Her win person and every job that needs doing” was summed up by comments from colleagues uly inspired by her” “always positive and including “always has a smile on her face and and provides clear direction” “an inspiration always puts a smile on everyone else’s face” rrent & future advonians” “There’s never a problem that can’t be fixed” “always provides the positivity” “A welcome breath d “It’s a warm and of fresh air” “positive vibes all round” “cup is always elming feeling to half full, optimistic and a can-do attitude” “Always gnised for inspiring encouraging me to believe in myself” advo. I’ve been unate to pick the The ’MADE MY DAY’ award was a four-way tie p several times between Ce Herring, Account Support Team, Ellie all the more Sultana, Account Manager Mal Tomlin, Operations g to know the and Colin Boxall. on continues. You an’t wish for more The awards were summed up by Colin who said at! I’m so grateful “this year has been so incredible and looking back with such quite unbelievable with the challenges we faced. inarily The advo staff were, and are fantastic and their Lucy Pearce, ul people. ‘can do’ attitude is the reason why advo has not advo commercial director only survived lockdown, but thrived. Well done to r advo has quite a few new faces. This everyone! you are all brilliant” BEST NEWCOMER’, was Lauren Palmer, with member, Lewis Rundle runner up. Comments auren from her colleagues included “she

Lauren Palmer

Lucy Irvine

Jenny Durling

Ce Herring

Ellie Sultana

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 09

advogroup.co.uk |where are we right now

where w

advo hr’s Alison Gill outlines the latest rules, changes and wider responsibilities for employers as we move into 2021.

As we leave 2020 behind us and enter 2021, yet more challenges greet us with all of the UK in tighter lockdown restrictions. We all now need to do our best to work together at beating this pandemic. We would like to remind everyone of the implications that the recent announcements by the Prime Minister may have on you as an employer. I t is now no surprise that this is a constantly moving situation, so to help you, below we have outlined a short summary following the lockdown announcement on the key areas impacted.

Full government guidance is available on https:// www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-athome

Furlough Scheme Firstly, at this stage there have been no changes to the Job Retention Scheme (Furlough). This means that employees had to be on payroll, with the RTI submitted on or before 30 October 2020 in order to qualify for furlough. Presently this remains in place until April 2021

Work As a rule, you must work from home unless you really cannot do so and you should only leave home for work purposes where it is unreasonable for you to do your job from home.

You can work in other people’s houses if your job role requires you to do so (e.g. emergency trades

people) and you can stay away overnight or travel across counties for work or volunteering purposes.

We would where at all possible suggest avoiding all unnecessary travel in line with government guidance.

If, however, you do have workers who need to travel overnight, please provide them with a letter confirming the reason for such travel, as this could avoid employees being challenged by the Police.

You should discuss working arrangements with your employees and should take every possible step to facilitate working from home. After having experienced last year’s lockdown we anticipate that such measures can be swiftly reactivated or reinstated where applicable.

Volunteering You can still leave home to provide voluntary or charitable services.

Child Care We know from the previous lockdown that home schooling and childcare arrangements have a significant impact on employees and their ability to perform their duties from home. You should talk to your employees about how they can, where possible, balance the situation and what challenges they may face and also what support you can offer them to give some flexibility. You may also need to consider furlough or flexible furlough, where eligible. If you need support in this area please do get in touch.

You will be aware the majority of education settings are now closed until at least 15th February 2021, apart from the following exceptions:-

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 10

advogroup.co.uk | where we are right now

we are right now • Nurseries and childminders/early years settings remain open (within England) • Vulnerable children and children of critical workers can continue to use registered childcare, childminders and other childcare activities (including wraparound care) • Nannies will be able to continue to provide services, including in the home.

Unable to attend work This link (here) provides the latest guidance if an employee is unable to attend work or needs to selfisolate due to coronavirus.

Penalties for breaches

judgement, they are deemed at higher risk of serious illness if they catch the virus.

Business and Premises that must close If your business is in the unfortunate position it has had to close or if you are considering redundancies or any other options, please contact us for further support and advice if needed.

Scheduled Employment Law Updates for 2021 This year there appears to be very few changes in terms of employment law. We do, however know that IR35 is to be rolled out to include the private sector from 06 April 2021. There will also be changes to the National Minimum Wage, which increases by 2.2% to £8.91 per hour.

It’s an offence for an employer to knowingly allow a person who is required to self-isolate to work anywhere other than where they are self-isolating (normally their Further support from advo hr home).

If you are concerned for the wellbeing of any colleagues, please do consider what support can This applies only when they’re required to self-isolate be offered at a personal level from your business. following a positive test, contacted by NHS Test Maintaining regular contact with those who may be and Trace or their local authority, or where they are vulnerable or in isolation is important, often being in required to quarantine after returning from abroad. work is a life-line to some.

If an employer is reasonably believed to be in breach of this requirement, they may be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN), this can range from £1,000 for a first FPN up to £10,000 for a fourth or more.

To this end, we can offer remote based mental health training workshops to support your business and managers. If this is something you’d wish to consider then please do get in touch.

Shielding and Protecting Clinically Extremely Vulnerable People

We would also like to remind you that Employee Assistance Programmes are often very useful at such times and please do get in touch if this is something that you would like to consider.

We were informed last night that shielding will be re-instated and that individuals required to shield will receive a letter confirming this. Under Tier 4, clinically extremely vulnerable people were not allowed to attend work if they could not work from home, we presume this will be the case under the national lockdown as well, but await further clarification.

To clarify people who are defined as clinically extremely vulnerable are at very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus.

There are 2 ways they may be identified as clinically extremely vulnerable: They present with one or more of the recognised conditions as detailed on the government website or Their clinician or GP has added them to the Shielded Patient List because, based on their clinical

By us all working together to reduce the spread of Covid-19 we hope this lockdown is not too long. It’s anticipated once the roll-out of the vaccine gains momentum we will all see a more positive 2021 As always, we will continue to update you as and when additional information becomes available or if there are further changes and we are here to provide support and guidance during such challenging times.

Please do contact advo hr and we will do all we can to help you and your business and, in the meantime, please stay safe!”

You can email advohr@advogroup.co.uk to start a conversation if you need additional support.

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 11

into 202 advogroup.co.uk |into 2021, predicting the hr year ahead

“

we haven’t suddenly moved into the ‘Wild West’ where employers & emplo alike are at liberty to take rogue actions fear of consequence

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 12

”

21

oyees without

advogroup.co.uk | into 2021, predicting the hr year ahead

As employers start 2021 the same as 2020, we know the year will eventually bring change, perhaps more normality, but what are the challenges that lay ahead for HR and employers. We ask HR professionals from Sagegreen HR and advohr for their professional insights into the year ahead. that in some situations, what may have been ‘reasonable’ in the age BC (Before Coronavirus) may have shifted in light of a world AD (After Disease).

PIPPA DENNITTS: It’s a strange

new (employment) world – or is it?

UK employment has been through a rollercoaster ride over the past year. From lockdown, to furlough, to the beginnings of recovery and the ‘new normal’ and straight back again, all of these things have had HR professionals working hard to determine the appropriate path to support and advise organisations. But we haven’t suddenly moved into the Wild West where employers and employees alike are at liberty to take rogue actions without fear of consequence, the fundamentals of employment law and the employment relationship are unchanged.

However; I find I am shifting focus to some degree in three key areas: Employee mental health and wellbeing, Flexibility and homeworking; and Safe working environments.

In my view, taking a proactive approach to tackling these issues will always be preferable and the most likely way to avoid being on the back foot when they arise. its possible future tribunals will expect employers to have this at the forefront of their mind when considering what might be a ‘reasonable’ response to any given employee issue.

On the whole, most organisations are looking for ways to secure their future and High quality management / staff maximise their chances of success by relationships, supported by good having the right people in the right place employment contracts and relevant at the right time. Careful consideration of policies and procedures, all make for the how employee mental health, flexibility most effective tools to navigate these troubled waters, and provide the best basis and providing safe working environments for employment law, where it is needed, to have been affected by Coronavirus will support employers in their futureproofing sort out right from wrong. approach, alongside having strong and relevant contracts and policies to support As HR professionals, we know that so the manager / employee relationship. much of how employment law plays Of course, it shouldn’t be forgotten that out is determined by the case law alongside these evolved considerations, which is derived from the tribunals employers need to keep current with the and is often based on the concept ordinary and upcoming employment law of ‘reasonableness’. In my view, this is changes. Remember, myself and other HR where we may see some evolution due professionals are here to help. to the societal impacts of Coronavirus and our economic recovery from it. It Pippa can be contacted at pippa@ would not be unthinkable to anticipate sagegreenhr.co.uk

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 13

advogroup.co.uk |into 2021, predicting the hr year ahead

into 2021: Continued from page 13...

CLAIRE TAYLOR: “The coronavirus

pandemic has transformed workplaces but there remains a concern on the unrelenting workloads you and your colleagues face, caused by the knock-on effect of all the changes that, if we ae not careful, will without appropriate support impact your physical and mental wellbeing. Never be too proud to ask for help.

So, how do we remain resilient? The concept of “resilience” has been much-discussed and employers have had to show “organisational resilience” and be able to anticipate, prepare for, respond and adapt to change and sudden disruptions in order to survive and prosper. In doing so, we may forget the need for “personal resilience”.

As such, we all need to prioritise our own wellbeing. Yes, we can become all consumed by the day-job and easily forget to look out for our own needs. I’m sure you are guilty of this as much as the next person.

CAROLINE MAYOH: Going forward post-

BREXIT and as we move through the pandemic there are going to be lots more challenges and changing trends for businesses in the UK in future. Many businesses will not re-open and therefore redundancy and restructure will create added uncertainty. For other businesses, work patterns are more likely to have to be flexible in future and many may want a hybrid model of working between remote and office based with hours around family and also a move to a shorter-working week for health and wellbeing. This will pose additional challenges for managers and the need to review family friendly policies and employment law for the future to adapt to the changing environments and review working hours. Managers will have to be more focused on outputs and productivity but also ensuring they take more of a proactive support role for mental health and wellbeing. Companies more than ever will need to review their employee benefits to see what support both psychological, insurance and financial they have in place to support their employees and have additional health and wellbeing policies in place.

Certainly, as HR professionals we try to lead by example. Employers need to have a clear plan CMayoh@sagegreenhr.co.uk of action around looking after their own and their employee’s wellbeing such as considering how to maintain remote social connections with others and putting in place effective boundaries between work and home life.

It’s more important than ever to take regular breaks during the day and taking annual leave when needed so to avoid burnout. One thing is sure, there are further challenges that lie ahead and it’s a reality that many businesses are still struggling to survive and that as a HR team we can offer a great deal of support to help businesses remain resilient, not least handling the ever-changing directives from Government.

We remain at the centre of helping businesses respond to COVID-19 and in turn ensuring the wellbeing of you and your colleagues during a climate of recession and high unemployment.

Now is the time to prepare and be ready to respond to what further challenges await us in 2021” CTaylor@sagegreenhr.co.uk

CATH BLANCHARD: Where do we start?

Covid, Brexit???

We are in the midst of a social or second industrial revolution in my opinion, so we have gone full circle from the little cottage industries that became regimented factories and offices and are now back to people working at home doing their own thing. From a HR perspective that has implications on ways of working and managing, and our focus needs to shift for this to work – less focus on timekeeping and attendance management and more focus on output management, also more use of technology for communications, training, and business management. All of these factors will require us all to adapt our management styles and behaviours. We will need to think about how we will build relationships and teams. If

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 14

we are moving to will also need to working environm for equipment, fu

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ALISON GILL

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advogroup.co.uk | into 2021, predicting the hr year ahead

owards more homeworking we consider the suitability of the ments and who pays the cost urniture, heating and light.

gegreenhr.co.uk

L: Psychologists tell us that ature there will always be the paying the bills and job security cognised human needs of steem, and self-actualization forgotten.

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“

we are in the midst of a social or second industrial revolution

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advocate winter 2021| advogroup.co.uk | 15

advogroup.co.uk |the forgotten

Articles written about the future of work are commonly from an employee perspective, but what about the employers, senior managers & HR professionals? Alison Gill, who heads up the advo hr and Sagegreen HR teams looks at how senior management have been at the forefront of the lockdown and fight against COVID

“

There is often very little, or no consideration afforded to those senior managers of HR professionals sitting across the table, delivering the unwelcome news about redundancy to their teams

“We have said goodbye to 2020 and have lived through a tidal wave of change.

Businesses have navigated their way through the challenges of home working, making the workplace COVID secure, understanding and communicating everchanging government guidance and the implementation of the newly learn, and now familiar furlough scheme.

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Business leaders and HR professionals are commercial and appreciate business decisions but the effects of the challenges off 2020 and the blurring of the work / home life balance, the pressure of heavy workload and weight of responsibility may already be taking its toll on mental health.

Some may also believe that, by the very nature of their senior role, they have to be seen as invincible and any indication that they are upset or struggling, may be perceived as a sign of weakness.

2021 is undoubtedly going to bring more unexpected changes, that may hurtle across the horizon. During this year, businesses will still be figuring out how to hold on until the time, when the earth Senior managers may live alone or there pivots back onto a more straightened axis. may be concerns within their home or personal life and they may not wish to add Articles written about the future of to these by discussing with loved ones, the work are commonly from an employee way they feel about issues at work. perspective and the value that employees place upon employers to show strong There is release valve may therefore be leadership skills in a crisis. Businesses care limited! about their employees and guidance is widely available to signpost employees Discussing problematic issues or bouncing towards mental health support. ideas around with colleagues and saying how one feels over Teams may However, little is commented on about the not feel easy. Certainly, the opportunity wellbeing of employers. The senior leaders of expressing feelings in the less formal who have the onus keeping businesses environment of a casual chat over a afloat during these troubled waters and coffee or over a drink in the pub after work the heavy responsibility on their shoulders are a distant memory. of retaining all of their staff.

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 16

Looking forward into the fo uncertain future, there may difficult and potentially em punishing challenges ahea navigated.

A study published by ACAS 2020 stated that 37% of bus planning on making redund coming three months.

Such decisions may have n into abeyance as a result o of the furlough scheme and loans and initiatives, but so may have no choice other redundancies.

The impact on those made is widely published and it is acknowledged redundanc desperate. Most business w they can to support those r employees with range of p interventions such as outpla mechanisms, referrals to ot additional financial help an assistance programmes .

However, there is often very consideration afforded to t managers of HR professiona

advogroup.co.uk | the forgotten

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the table, delivering the unwelcome news about redundancy to their teams. It is invariably just seen as part of the job.

The CIPD considered this aspect of making redundancies and detailed their findings in a report published in 2020 titled ‘Don’t shoot the messenger: The enigmatic impact of conveying bad news during redundancy situations and how to limit the impact’. https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/ psychological-impact-redundancies_ tcm18-76926.pdf This report details the psychological effect on business leaders and HR professionals and details such quotes as this director, who stated: “There were lots of emotions involved in the redundancies at the company. We dealt with shock, horror, anger and then acceptance. It upset me. It was a very stressful situation. I could not sleep at night and I had to go to a doctor and get medication. It was very stressful and too harsh on my soul.”

despite extensive preparation, that telling employee after employee, in large or small scale redundancies, that their role is no longer required is so difficult. Regardless of knowing and agreeing with all the business reasons, being met with anger, tears and despair and comments such as ‘How will I feed my children?’ can be heartbreaking. Whatever is said and however sympathetically it is presented, employees may often feel that the decision is personal and point the finger saying that this devastating life changing event is all their fault and they should have done more to prevent this outcome.

The aforementioned CIPD study concludes that businesses should have an appreciation of the negative impact and emotional rollercoaster that redundancy envoys experience.

In these unprecedented times and with the increased volume of work and change management exercise, it has never been so important to consider the wellbeing of all of your employees.

Another HR director shared his account, where he stated: “I suffered and developed acute stress from implementing redundancies. I had to get help from a psychologist”.

Whether that is you as the business leader, the senior leadership around you or the HR manager. They are all employees, they have emotions, they are not infallible and may be struggling too!

One redundancy envoy, an HR business partner, felt targeted by angry employees, which made his life inside and outside of work so uncomfortable that he felt he had to resign from his job and move to another town to get away from the situation.

These senior business leaders are also the ones who will help you drive your business forward and will keep you team motivated and productive in the future.

2021 should be the year to provide support and help to everyone. This may The redundancy process can place be achieved by a change in approach, those making the redundancies in a encouragement to talk openly about psychological dichotomy. They understand worries or concerns without reproach and appreciate that business decisions or the opportunity to use any Employee have to be made but they will have Assistance Programme. become close to and truly care about the team. They may therefore encounter a The dawn of this New Year should be myriad of personal feelings from genuinely greeted with the acceptance that being upset to feelings of guilt. it is tough out there but the heartfelt philosophy to be kind not to only others I know from a personal point of view, and their teams but also to themselves.”

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 17

advogroup.co.uk I work coronavirus conflict

work coronavirus conflict

advo hr addresses the conflict that COVID brings to the wo to address the differing employee views and concerns.

“Black Wednesday in 1992 saw interest rates to 15% and the great recession of 2008 which took the UK economy five years to get back to the size it was before the recession were extremely challenging times.

However, in over 25 years working in HR in a number of different industries, none of us have lived or worked through a year like 2020, but 2021 has now been labelled a year of hope and recovery!

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has now been approved for use in the UK and together with the PfizerBioNTech jab, there are now said to be sufficient vaccines to cover the entire population.

Despite the promising news about the vaccine and a potential, eventual return to some kind of normality, and working as an HR professional, alongside many businesses, there continue to be a myriad of employee related issues to manage as we enter the New Year.

As we know, mental health issues continue to rise and both employers and employees remain anxious

about the future.Employees may also hold very strong views about the way they feel that the behaviour and actions displayed by their colleagues may affect the spread of the virus.

For example, they may be aware that others haven’t complied with the guidance regarding household mixing over the festive period or are not complying with received track and trace alerts to self-isolate.

I have heard made by employees regarding their employment has been lack of communication. I have never once heard anyone say ‘My manager over communicates with me’. So, with regards to communication, less is never more and my advice would always be that the key to increased harmony in the workplace is to talk to your team.

If an employer hears of conflict of opinion, between employees, don’t leave it to blow over as these things tend not to disappear. They can only escalate and a number of small things can become a major complaint or grievance so the best Such differing views and approaches advice would always be to nip issues could cause harmful conflict and in the bud. significantly affect work performance and productivity.

Talk to employees individually and do all you can to mediate and allow Together with the gloom that others to empathise with each other January often brings and the fact and resolve their differences. that businesses continue to face an uncertain future, how do employers All employers would be advised manage any internal differences of to put in place a carefully thought opinions and potential conflict? through internal communications strategy which recognises the In my 25 years’ experience working in employees concerns and worries that the HR, the most common complaint the wider group may harbour and Some employees may voice a view that they do not wish to have the vaccine and others may feel that this is an irresponsible viewpoint, which puts others at risk.

advocate winter 2021| advogroup.co.uk | 18

advogroup.co.uk |work coronavirus conflict However, the primary consideration is to ensure that all employees are aware that under UK health and safety law, all employees are entitled to work in environments where risks to their health and safety are properly controlled. Everyone should also be reminded that they also have a duty to take care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions at work.

It is therefore crucial that all employees are aware that Covid-19 risk assessments and safe working practices continue to be in place to control the risks associated with contracting the virus at work.

orkplace and how takes a sensitive and empathetic approach.

You may already have a Health and Safety Committee or Works Committee in place or you may wish to enlist the help of key employees in your business to support a communication programme and discuss with them the type of information that employees would welcome.

As we have all learnt, information does changes and all employers will need to be prepared to adapt their plans and approach in line with new developments and it is important that everyone recognise that this is an evolving situation.

Some employees may not have taken the time to carefully listen to the advice or have missed or misunderstood information regarding continued restrictions, the spread of Coronavirus or the vaccination programme and how this may affect them and there are key points to consider in any such communication programme.

Explain to employees that the vaccine is being administered according to priority groups and even with the advancement of the vaccine programme, it is likely that we will still need to follow social distancing laws and the COVID secure working guidance for some time. Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific officer, has warned that face masks may be required until next winter.

Remind employees that they will need to be registered with a GP surgery in England in order to receive the vaccination.

Consider the fact that an instruction to take the vaccine could be regarded as a ‘reasonable instruction’ on the part of the employer, but that will depend on the circumstances.

For example, employers in the social care sector may be able to issue a reasonable instruction to employees to take the vaccine because refusal could put vulnerable people at risk.

been shown that work can be done effectively from home.

Furthermore, the NHS advises that those who are pregnant or who are breastfeeding should not have the vaccine until after the birth of the baby or until they have stopped breastfeeding.

There is also advice that If a woman has the vaccine, she should not get pregnant for at least 2 months after having the 2nd dose. Apart from specific NHS advice, there may be some employees who do not wish to take the vaccine for a number of reasons.

This may be because of a medical condition that prevents them from being vaccinated, it may be for religious reasons or for reasons of philosophical belief or they may have concerns about the safety or effectiveness of the vaccination.

If an employee voices concerns, it is important that employers show empathy and take the time to gain a clear understanding of each individual scenario.

There is the potential for discrimination claims, if any employee is forced to take the vaccine or treated differently, albeit directly or indirectly, if they don’t wish to be vaccinated. If any employer is unsure of what to say or any employment legislation implications, they should always seek further professional advice, prior to taking any action.

When thinking about the future, employers should consider whether day-to-day operations are likely to be disrupted by the vaccine rollout.

For example, employees may need to take time off work to get the vaccine and to recover Employers in other sectors arguably from any side-effects. It would be do not have the same strong reasonable for any employer to rationale for instructing staff to facilitate reasonable time of for take the vaccine – for example, their employees to be vaccinated. professional services, where it has continued on next page...

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advogroup.co.uk |coronavirus conflict

work coronavirus conflict Continued from page 19...

Private COVID-19 vaccination is not expected during the first phase of the NHS vaccination programme and public health officials have confirmed that no government stocks will be released for private clinics. However, in time and when stock may be available for the private sector in the future, you may want to consider whether you would wish to pay for employees to be vaccinated.

boundaries between work & home becoming increasingly blurred

With the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine, new information regarding employee’s health means that it is likely that there will be changes to the medical information an employer will hold about and it is therefore very important that all data protection policies and processes are reviewed and employees are reassured about the safety of their personal data.

Of course, and as, we have all learnt, government guidance, the vaccination programme and its impact will evolve over the course of the next few months and I would recommend that all employees are kept informed of what the business plans are on a regular basis. This can be via virtual meetings, telephone calls or newsletters.

There will undoubtedly be precedent and stated cases as an outcome of the Coronavirus pandemic. These may relate to Health & Safety, redundancy, furlough claims, holiday, discrimination, etc. and at the time of writing, it is impossible to predict what final decisions may be made. All employers should take a reasonable and fair view and all complex pieces of legislation must be handled carefully and I would always advise business leaders to seek professional HR advice prior to taking any action. advo hr will take the time to understand your business and we will support you step by step through any Coronavirus or any other employee related matter. email us on advohr@advogroup. co.uk to start a conversation

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More than half of UK employees agre that the boundaries between their work and home life are becoming increasingly blurred, according to th latest research.

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advogroup.co.uk | work boundaries Aviva’s new report(1) – ‘Embracing the Age of Ambiguity’ – explores the impact that ambiguity is having on key areas of working life, from wellbeing and work-life balance to employee-employer relationships.

Employer Considerations to help businesses navigate the impact of uncertainty on employee wellbeing and engagement.

Research carried out in February 2020 took a snapshot of working life then. This was repeated in August and, together with Business Wellbeing Specialists, Robertson Cooper, Aviva examined the impact on work and society more broadly.

‘Employee drift’ The report reveals employees are becoming not just physically remote but increasingly emotionally remote too. While 54% of UK employees agree that their employer has worked hard to create a sense of ‘company togetherness’, embracing an open dialogue and communicating future working arrangements (60% of employees agree), efforts are having a limited impact. Only 15% agree that their employer is trying very hard to understand what motivates them.

This is challenging workers’ sense of purpose and their relationship with their employer has shifted, fuelled by less focus on job satisfaction. This creates ‘employee drift’, making it harder for employers to attract and retain the best and brightest in their workforce and capture new talent.

Impact on physical and mental health

Professor Sir Cary Cooper CBE, Co-founder of Robertson Cooper added “I’ve been promoting the importance of mental health and wellbeing at work for over 50 years and have noted the impact that ambiguity and uncertainty has on health, wellbeing and performance. Levels of uncertainty for employees have ebbed and flowed during my career, but this year has been different.

Undoubtedly this includes a shift in the relationship between employers and their employees. A new partnership is required. One that recognises the immense challenges to employee wellbeing, as well as the need for more a personalised approach.

We all have different personalities2, different ways of dealing with pressure and different needs – knowledge is growing in this area.”

Aviva has made a series of recommendations that they believe will help employers reset relationships with their employees (you can read the full list of recommendations here).

Organisations need to:

Crucially, declining satisfaction for their job is impacting on mental health.

1. Understand how they can deliver on emerging flexibility needs 2. Personalise mental health and wellbeing support 3. Maintain sense of purpose, clarity and autonomy in the workplace 4. Prepare workers for fuller working lives and the transition from work to retirement 5. Create more targeted interventions by understanding personality types

Employees are adapting by dropping into survival mode. In August, 25% felt they were unprepared financially for unexpected events, such as serious illness, accident, or redundancy. Yet, heightened anxiety has led to employees working longer hours and taking fewer sick days over a three-month period (67% in February vs. 84% in August), all the while becoming less fulfilled by work and life. This is one of the reasons that employees at Aviva have access to mental health, domestic abuse and wellness support and an assistance line for anyone needing to talk to someone.

Paul Wilson, CMO, Aviva UK Life, Savings & Retirement, commented: “We are living in an ‘Age of Ambiguity’. The balance between work and home life; employment and retirement; and the relationship between employers and employees are becoming increasingly fluid. While some welcome flexibility, for many others it creates unease and uncertainty.

“We are encouraging employers to embrace the ‘Age of Ambiguity’ in supporting their workforce with their mental health, physical and financial wellbeing. To do so Aviva has created a list of

“After all, people are the number one asset of any business and, by providing them with targeted support, their contribution will be more valuable than ever before.”

You can download your copy of Aviva’s ‘Embracing the Age of Ambiguity’ report by following the link here, https://www.aviva.co.uk/business/businessperspectives/support/age-of-ambiguity/

Notes: 1 Research of 2,000 UK employees working in organisations with over 1,000 employees, conducted on behalf of Aviva by Quadrangle conducted in February 2020, and repeated in August 2020 2 The personality data was collected using Robertson Cooper’s i-Resilience tool – a fully validated free online personality questionnaire completed by 2,000 people in October 2020. A balanced sample of 1564 employees was used.

advocate winter 2021| advogroup.co.uk | 21

advogroup.co.uk | emplyee benefits afterthought

employee benefits during recruitment

Employee benefits can be an incredibly effective recruitment tool but all too often during the onboarding process after an offer has been accepted, according to new The research conducted by GRiD, the industry body for the group risk sector, confirms that Just 22% of organisations promote employee benefits prior to recruitment i.e. in job advertisements, and only a quarter (25%) include any mention of employee benefits before day one of employment e.g. in an offer letter.

This is backed up by employees themselves, with 32% saying that employee benefits are as equally importan them as salary.

Not only is this a missed opportunity in terms of recruitm but it’s also a missed opportunity to embed the value o employee benefits in the mind’s eye of staff. For benefi to be fully appreciated by a new member of staff, the Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for GRiD said: “It is conversation has to start early and the communication completely nonsensical that most employers fail to promote needs to be clear. However, if benefits are presented a their employee benefits as part of the recruitment process. afterthought or secondary to pay, they lose some of th Benefits already in place within the organisation will be perceived value. utilised by existing staff, and ostensibly communicated to new recruits should they sign on the dotted line, so it really Alison Gill, who heads up the advo hr and Sagegreen is a missed opportunity not to make the most of them to HR advisory teams commented “Psychologists tell us attract the best possible talent.” that within human nature there will always be the basic needs of paying the bills and job security but the other Lucy Pearce, advo group’s Commercial Director, who recognised human needs of belonging, self-esteem, an has considerable experience in building a team points self-actualization should never be forgotten. out that “Whilst statistics show significantly less than 50% of employees rate benefits above their salary, creating and Although we live in a different new world, people will maintaining a bespoke and relevant employee benefit always aspire to more than just a job. Candidates wan package helps to underpin and enhance a business’s something they love, something they can enjoy and a culture. The culture and environment of a business in recent working environment and culture which cares about th years has become much more of a priority for employees and their career. seeking potential new employment. If wellbeing and benefit strategies are implemented & communicated So, whilst appealing to the wallet, it’s not always all abo effectively together with financial reward the two are the money. Companies need to appeal to the heart a a perfect match and lead to longer term employee soul. Some candidates will often take lesser pay if they retention.” truly feel that not only, this the job for them but are bein provided with a warm welcoming environment by a te Benefits as important as salary who really care.

Employers would be wise to use existing benefits to appeal Alison adds “Companies may wish to consider total to job seekers, as GRiD’s research shows how valued they renumeration package. What employee benefits are are. offered and are they relevant. What is right to one candidate may not be right for other. Some candidate 29% of employers think that ‘benefits are as important as salary’ in helping to recruit and retain employees and 33% may love extra holiday whilst others may welcome gym believe potential staff are as interested in the wider benefits membership or dental care. Within a diverse workforce flexible benefits package may be hugely attractive. as they are in the salary’.

advocate winter 2021| advogroup.co.uk | 22

advogroup.co.uk | emplyee benefits afterthought

s: an afterthought process?

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How does your company communicate the employee benefits that you offer?

Look after the team by offering an Employee Assistance Programmes which supports not only mental health issues but also offers such things as legal, landlord / tenant or financial advice. As an employer, you care, as you are providing your employees with professional help which may be invaluable, and for which they will be truly thankful and may never forget!

n as an Don’t forget those little inexpensive quirky benefits such heir fresh fruit, morning toast or Friday cakes in the office. Little touches make a true difference, become cultural and can make employees feel so valued and love working for you!”

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Employees’ right to a statement of particulars on their first day Just 38% of employers communicate employee benefits in a welcome pack, which is an increase from 31% in 2019. However, new legislation** was introduced 6 April 2020 requiring employers to inform new employees about their employment and benefits on day one or on request for existing employees, and all organisations need meet this obligation, so communicating them as part of the recruitment process is a natural progression.

Lucy Pearce added “advo’s internal recruitment approach ensures candidates are as educated on advo, its benefits, culture and working environment as advo are on the candidates background and ability to fulfil a vacancy. Our client recruitment & benefit solutions mirror this approach and give businesses the ability to review and adapt, carefully creating strategies to suit individual business culture.”

How important are the health and wellbeing employee benefits that your company offers in helping recruit and retain employees?

In terms of choosing which company to work for, how important are employee benefits a company offers which support your financial, physical, social and mental wellbeing?

Notes: * Research undertaken during January 2020 by Opinium on behalf of GRiD amongst 500 HR decision makers and 1,165 UK employees. ** The Employment Rights (Employment Particulars and Paid Annual Leave) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/1378)

advocate winter 2021| advogroup.co.uk | 23

advogroup.co.uk |the science behind stress

the scienc

We’re not designed to deal wit clinical director, Cigna Europe about it and practical advice o

“The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted alm every part of life across the globe and con to play a major part in fuelling stress. The em toll the virus has had on so many people, n mention the experiences of isolation, loneli financial hardships and mental health traum cannot be underestimated.

Every aspect of our lives, whether that be p professional and cultural, is different now. In of the day-to-day interactions, we used to both in and outside of the office, we’re now logging on to work earlier instead of a com working through lunch, eating that lunch a workstations, watching TV and then going t Instead of meeting friends or family for dinn drinks followed by a visit to the local cinem weekend, we now catch-up with friends via platforms and only venture out for essentia shopping.

Over time, this lifestyle can have a profoun on how we feel. Our latest Cigna 360 Well-b Study found that across every aspect of live physical, social, family, finance and work – becoming less satisfied with the world arou and this, coupled with the ongoing uncerta and anxiety of the current situation – mean many as 76% of us are currently experiencin

How does stress impact our bodies?

All of us at one time or other would have he phrase ‘flight or fight’. At its most basic leve trained, mammalian evolutionary reaction in response to a perceived harmful event, a or threat to survival. Most – if not all of us – h been in certain situations when something or untoward happens; you can physically f your body releasing adrenalin from just abo kidneys, along with a stress hormone, cortis

Dr Peter Mills, Clinical director, Cigna Europe advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 24

Cortisol is a necessary hormone, helping to regulate a variety of outputs in the body in blood sugar, blood pressure and metabolis combine it with adrenaline, and the impac have on our system can be profound. Our rate increases to get more oxygenated blo our body, our muscles expand to help us e the situation and our breathing becomes fa and shallower to help us take in more oxyg

This article was first published in Cover Magazine. You full on https://www.covermagazine.co.uk/news/4025

advogroup.co.uk |the science behind stress

ce behind long-term stress

th this protracted period of stress, so how can we combat it? Says Dr Peter Mills, e who takes a closer look at how stress impacts our bodies, what can be done on combatting.

This surge of chemicals directly delivered to a How can we combat it? person’s blood stream also impacts how our brains • Regularly exercising/ doing physical activity process information. As the body prepares to either daily will have a positive impact on our ‘fight or flight’, vision becomes focussed on the energy and stress levels. One of the biggest situation at hand and memory can be affected and most effective therapies for people as concentration is drawn towards the cause of with psychological issues is activity. Choose the stress. Long-term exposure to cortisol and other something enjoyable that gets the heart stress hormones can wreak havoc on almost all of pumping personal, our body’s processes, increasing risk of many health • Having a balanced diet will make massive n place issues, from heart disease and obesity to anxiety improvements, as will eating at regular intervals have and depression.

• Having regulated sleeping patterns will help. w There is a temptation to stay up later to watch mmute, How does this impact us long-term? another episode of a popular series on Netflix at our This physiological process is not designed to be or getting into a different time zone when to bed. triggered on a daily/hourly basis and almost gaming, but regulating the sleep and wake ner and certainly not designed to deal with a 10-month cycle can help ma at the global pandemic. Our bodies are simply not able • Try to make an effort to communicate and a digital to deal with such long and protracted stressful convene with others – even if it is remotely. It al travel or scenarios such as the one we currently face, provides us with a feeling of purpose therefore those stress hormones that are there • Check in with yourself – self-care has never to assist us in times of danger and acute stressful nd impact situations, eventually shut down. Those hormones been so important. Take time out of the day to being have some ‘me’ time. It’s extremely important can only achieve that heightened sense of es – to give your mind and body permission to alertness for a period of time before having to take Brits are it down a few notches which can ultimately be relax and help to release those surging stress und them detrimental to our whole health. hormones ainty • Finding what is right for you and not being ns that as What can be done about it? afraid to ask for help. Speak to professionals ng stress. There are a number of explanations as to why and seek psychological health interventions – we have seen huge demand for our EAP and someone may feel under significant stress at any health insurance solutions given time, over and above the current crisis we eard the live in.

• Learning techniques from CBT – combatting el, this stress is a life skill and we should be teaching occurs Do they for example have high demands vs low this to people from an early age. Discover attack, control over their day-to-day lives? Do they have how to recognise a situation that drives have to put in a high amount of effort for little reward negative emotions and how those emotions scary (financial or otherwise)? We know that if these drive negative behaviours to change the way feel areas of a person’s life are out of balance, they are you think ove our much more likely to experience prolonged stress sol. and eventually, poor physical and mental health.

Above all, we need to recognise that stress is a physiological response and we need to manage o Coupled with the fact that we don’t have any every aspect of our whole health to help improve ncluding extracurricular activities such as a group exercise our stress-levels. It’s not just our work lives that sm. But class at the gym, Sunday football, hiking group, impact our stress and as a society, we need to ct both nights out with friends and the likes, means we have help people focus on improving every aspect of heart no downtime to balance the high demands. We their whole health. Whether that’s by improving ood in need to have that downtime to have enjoyment – the quality of our relationships, finances, working escape the de-stressors have all gone but the stressors have conditions or social lives – all of which have aster racked up. been changed beyond recognition since before gen. the pandemic.”

most ntinues motional not to iness, ma

u can read the original news story in 5195/science-long-term-stress

advocate winter 2021| advogroup.co.uk | 25

advogroup.co.uk |EAP: know their worth

employee assistance programmes do you know their worth? advo recently covered an article on the lack of communication about staff benefits. The article explains that a recent survey revealed that only 57% of employers believe their workforce is aware of all their benefits and understands them. An incredible 35% of employees say their company doesn’t communicate benefits or they don’t remember if they do.

and mental health. Depending on the provider, this can include access to a 24-hour helpline answered by experienced in-house counsellors, legal and financial specialists and can provide further face-to-to-face, telephone or online counselling, finance management support, debt and legal information etc.

This benefit can have such an important positive impact on employees’ lives, especially during such times as we have experienced this year. Employee’s productivity These statistics are a stark and motivation may also increase reminder of how important regular if they can deal with the issues communication of employee benefits they are facing and can therefore are and to use a variety of methods concentrate on other matters. of communication to reach out to as many employees as possible.

There are clear benefits for the employee which benefit One of the low cost but high impact the employer. At a time where employee benefits is the Employee companies are reviewing their Assistance Programme (EAP). For benefits and trying to cut costs, it is those who are unsure of what this important to understand the financial benefit is, it is a service which helps impact a benefit such as an EAP employees to deal with life issues may have. It has been reported such as finances, relationships, stress that the impact and financial You can read this article on news. advogroup.co.uk/the-lack-of-staffbenefit-communication/

advocate winter 2021| advogroup.co.uk | 26

returns in the UK (2,000 calculations made via the EAPA UK return on investment (ROI) calculator since the beginning of 2019, representing anonymised information from four million employees) is that for every £1 spent on an EAP, employers see an average return on investment of £7.27. The data from the EAPA UK shows that whatever size company, sector, geographic location or servic used, an EAP is delivering significant financial returns as well as the emotional benefits such a service can bring.

If you currently have employee benefits, it is worth speaking to your provider to see if there is an EAP as part of the offering. If you are looking to review existing benefits, or do not have employee benefits or your provider does not offer an EAP and you would like to discuss this further, please get in touch and we can put you in contact with one of advo’s Employee Benefit’s Account Managers and start a conversation.

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advogroup.co.uk |holiday planning

holiday planning January sees the start of a new annual leave year for most employers.

With changes to legislation meaning that employees can carry over up to four weeks of annual leave across the next two annual leave years, it is important to look at how best to manage annual leave over the next two years to enable employees to take this time with as little impact on the business as possible.

Here at advo hr, we have our Absence Management Portal that enables managers to see the balance of annual leave employees still have to book which makes the process of reviewing annual leave easier. If you do not already utilise this portal and would like to know more, please do get in touch and we can provide a demo of the portal for you.

to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The May Bank Holiday Weekend will be moved to Thursday 2 June 2022 and an additional Bank Holiday on Friday 3 June 2022 will see a fourday weekend to celebrate. This will be another day to factor into the holiday allocations for most in 2022.

We will cover this in more detail closer to the time. However, there are some important things We advise that employers continue to encourage to remember in relation to bank holidays. There is no statutory right for employees to take bank employees to take regular breaks. Some holidays off work. Any right to time off depends employers manage this by setting deadlines for on the terms of the employee’s contract of taking holidays e.g., half of the annual leave employment. We would advise that you take entitlement should be taken by the end of June. the time to read the wording in your employees’ This helps to manage the allocations, especially contracts and ensure you have recorded what when some may have carried over annual their annual leave and bank holiday entitlement is leave into this leave year. If this is something you and if they are combined or separate. wish to implement, it should be done with prior communication to all employees, explaining clearly why the business has decided to introduce Remember for a full-time employee the statutory minimum annual leave entitlement is 5.6 weeks this new rule and whether it applies for one year which works out as 28 days. Depending on only or whether it will be a standard process the contract of employment, this may include moving forward. bank holidays or they may be separate. In any event, a full-time employee should be entitled Employers also have the ability to specify when to a minimum of 5.6 weeks paid annual leave an employee has to take annual leave by per leave year. When an employee is part-time, giving twice the notice in relation to the length it is recommended to give them a pro-rated of the leave. For instance, if you wished for an employee to take one week off, you would need allowance of paid bank holidays, irrespective of to give them two weeks’ notice of this. We would whether or not they normally work on the days on which bank holidays fall. This is because they have recommend this is a last resort if employees are the right not to be treated less favourably than a not booking regular leave and only after having comparable full-time worker which includes their spoken to the employees to explain that it may entitlement to bank holidays. be necessary for you as the employer to specify when they have to take their leave if they do not If you would like to know more about our absence begin to start taking this. management system available to our clients or just need some additional help in supporting your Additional Bank Holiday in 2022 employees then we are here to help. If the first It is also important to note that there is an additional bank holiday that has been introduced instance email advohr@advogroup.co.uk to start a conversation. for 2022 only. There will be a four-day weekend

Steps to Take

advocate winter 2021| advogroup.co.uk | 27

advogroup.co.uk |dying of embarrassment

dying of e

“

It isn’t something that’s part of normal everyday conversation and something people still view as a taboo

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 28

”

advogroup.co.uk |dying of embarrassment

embarrassment More than a third of Brits would be too embarrassed to visit the doctor if displaying bowel cancer symptoms, with over 65% not confident anyway in identifying what these symptoms are.

The results of a new study,

by Cromwell Hospital, found that 35% of Brits1 would be embarrassed to visit the doctor if they experienced common symptoms of bowel cancer, including blood in poo, abdominal pain, bloating and a change in bowel habits. The younger generation – 18-24-year olds – are the most embarrassed to speak to a medical professional with over 60% saying they would feel uncomfortable discussing symptoms.

“It’s not just the symptoms people worry about discussing, but the fear of what comes next – whether that’s a rectal examination or a colonoscopy.

“People forget that, as doctors, we’ve seen symptoms and examined patients before.

We want to assess the patient accurately to make sure they are getting the right and best treatment.”

“However, delaying help can really put people at risk. The statistics speak for themselves but, like many cancers, if caught early enough, bowel cancer is curable.

“It’s key that we normalise conversations about bowel movements and poo in order for people to stop feeling embarrassed and come forward if they’re experiencing symptoms.

What’s more, over 65% of Brits don’t feel confident in identifying “If you notice any blood in any symptoms of bowel cancer. your poo, changes to your bowel movement, bloating or Meanwhile, the older generation One reason for people’s abdominal pain after eating, (55+) were the most comfortable complacency is that many of the see your GP as soon as possible. speaking about any of the top symptoms are also caused by Don’t put it off, early diagnosis four symptoms*. more health common conditions. really does save lives.”

Dr Diana Tait, clinical oncologist at Cromwell Hospital said “People tend to get very embarrassed when speaking about their bowel movements.

For example, bleeding from the bottom is often assumed to be from haemorrhoids, while a change in stools may be put down to IBS.

“It isn’t something that’s part of normal everyday conversation and something people still view as a taboo. But by avoiding these conversations people risk symptoms being missed or ignored.”

As a result, when faced with common symptoms three in ten simply hope it will go away on its own, while a quarter say they don’t feel it’s important enough to waste a doctor’s time.

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK and the second biggest cancer killer, with over 42,000 people diagnosed every year2. Of these over 2,500 cases are in people under 50. Dr Tait continues:

Dr Tait adds “It can be easy to dismiss the symptoms of bowel cancer, and people often put different bowel movements or bloating down to stuff they eat or changes in their body as they get older.

Notes: Research conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Cromwell Hospital https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/ about-bowel-cancer/bowel-cancer/ *Top four symptoms of bowel cancer: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Blood in poo Bloating or abdominal pain Changes in bowel movement Constipationaccessible to patients, telemedicine can deliver a range of additional benefits, including:Making healthcare costs less expensive both for providers and patients.

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 29

advogroup.co.uk | thanks for reading

find every copy of advocate magazine online at issuu.com/advogroup issue #35 autumn 2020 of work. We take a look at alcohol dependency, risen since lockdown, the surge in tribunal cases and the need more than ever on accurate record keeping. In addition, the importance of wellbeing support for homeworkers and employer commitments to retaining flexible working post pandemic. The feature also includes an update on the shifting job market, common redundancy mistakes, the do’s & do nots of dismissals & social media and the male/female wellness divide. We have two guests contributing with features. Simon Miller of Aetna International on the COVID mental health challenges and the use of technology With articles on the surge in telemedicine we also interview with Ximena Besnier of Now Health International looking at the importance of telemedicine and remote treatment.

issue #34 summer 2020 In this issue we have a special COVID 19 ‘HR in Lockdown’ supplement. Articles cover maintaining good staff mental health, returning to the workplace, the pros and cons of home working with practical information on contractual issues. We cover advo bringing national HR consultancy firm, Sagegreen HR into the group. We include an HR blog from one of Sagegreen HR’s area Directors. Jamie Tuffield, who heads up the employee benefit team was part of a roundtable interview which resulted in two articles by Cover magazine, we enclose a summary. We have two interviews, one with Vitality UK’s CEO who outlines his thinking on the health of the nation and that there needs to be a change of mindset. The second interviews the founding Partner of Salus, a specialist risk protection adviser giving additional options to high-risk clients.

issue #33 spring 2020 advo news starts with an open letter from our CEO, Larry Bulmer, who reassures our business partners and clients that we are very much still ‘business as usual’. The big advo news was our attainment of the ISO Cyber-security accreditation which now gives us parity with global firms. .The Spring edition is heavily focussed on home working given that for many organisations this is a new experience with the whole workforce moving to their virtual office. We enclose a feature from International Insurer Aetna’s European Director who gives guidance on mental and essential resilience. In the same theme we feature an article from Investors in People who give practical advice in managing a team, remotely.

In employee benefit news we focus on eyecare, an often forgotten, but nonetheless important, staff benefit.

don’t miss a copy, subscribe to our issuu channel... its 100% free! advocate winter 2021| advogroup.co.uk | 30

advogroup.co.uk | the advo group

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advo has a reputation for cost control, innovation and customer service excellence. Having been recognised as the UK’s ‘best’ advisory firm by our peers on numerous occasions we have the best people supported by linked technology that gives control.

advocate winter 2021 | advogroup.co.uk | 31

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