The coronavirus has started to take its toll on the UK economy, the general public and small businesses. There is a lot of panic and anxiety with constant news of new cases and deaths due to the virus. This is an especially difficult time for small businesses, who will struggle to keep afloat with the lack of consumer demand. Whether you run a restaurant or a clothing shop on the high street, the effects of this pandemic are being felt.
[continue reading…]health and safety
The UK has an old Health & Safety Act (1974) which states that employer must “provide whatever information, instruction, training and supervision is necessary to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of your workplace employees.”
[continue reading…]While many considerations are given to physical safety in the workplace, it is only recently that the focus has turned to mental health and the significant impact it can have on the workforce’s ability to conduct its duties effectively. Issues around mental health in the UK cost businesses £35 billion per year, and cultural issues around ‘presenteeism’ are seeing workers fail to admit to mental health issues, resulting in poor health and reduced productivity.
Many business owners still feel that investing in workplace safety will have a negative impact on productivity and finances. But the truth is, a safe workplace is often a more productive and profitable one! The work environment can have either a negative or positive effect on the quality and quantity of work that employees produce. It can either promote a place that invites employees to want to be there, or it can be a place that they cannot wait to leave at the end of the day.
Properly implemented workplace safety is something that both the employer and the employees benefit from. In practice, it is quite hard to motivate the workforce to follow the intricate safety procedures. They are usually fully aware of their importance, but they lack the motivation to follow through.
