Welcome to the ‘New Normal’ for Offices and Workplaces

It’s clear as the country begins to ease COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and life begins to take on some semblance of what it was before the pandemic began, whatever the ‘new normal’ looks like, it will be in place for quite some time. Dependent on a workplace’s operating situation throughout lockdown and after, of course, arrangements for employees will vary hugely. But there are some things all employers should bear in mind when re-absorbing furloughed staff and making their best efforts to resume business-as-usual – and here’s my top pieces of advice.

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It’s time to step up to the challenge

With the dynamic of the business world shifting, with 60% of people employed by smaller businesses. The Festival of Work session “Leading Good Work in Practice” lead by Peter Cheese, Dame Helena Morrisey, Charlie Mayfield and Andy Briggs was a panel discussion about how we move through and out of the current crisis. The mean message from this is that we are all responsible for making change happen and we need to embrace the changes as we continue to see them.

The challenges we are currently facing are by no means small and they appear to be changing almost daily; we have a responsibility to appropriately respond and ensure that our organisation is working in a sustainable way. This includes creating more diverse workforces, embracing flexible working and creating positive cultures whether we are working together or apart.

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In a time where “me too” takes centre stage, when is it a good time to talk about men’s mental health?

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When I began writing this piece, it was difficult to fully piece together what the picture of men’s mental health looks like from a man’s perspective, not because I’m a woman, but because so few are reluctant to speak out. In this case, it makes this piece all the more worthwhile.

Unfortunately, around one in eight men in England are currently living with a mental health issue and with suicide being the largest cause of death for men under 35, it only highlights the scale of this problem. So why are so many people reluctant to talk about it? Maybe it is because so many men may be reluctant to seek support, there are thousands of men suffering in silence due to the stigma surrounding this taboo subject.

Sadly many are afraid to speak openly about their mental health even with those closest to them, and whilst this topic is not a new issue, people are still shying away from it, so isn’t it time we start talking openly about men’s mental health?

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It’s time to get blogging; start the countdown to #cipdACE

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It’s getting to that time of year again and it’s all rather exciting! Finally we can begin our build up to the biggest HR conference and exhibition of the year and you guessed it, I am part of this year’s CIPD blog squad and absolutely delighted to be asked back for a second time; 2016 was an absolute blast.

I have had the pleasure of tweeting with some of this fabulous bunch over social media for many years and they all have such different perspectives so this year’s coverage is definitely going to be vast and varied to say the least. If you are not already, do make sure you following them over on Twitter, on there you will find links to their blogs which will be used (along with many other social media channels) to discuss all the goings on.

The theme for this year’s 71st ACE is Leading the People Profession; the meaning behind this leads from previous years when the focus has been upon the world of work and the future of work, and as the pace of change becomes greater, there is an expectation that people focused professionals need to constantly adapt and change to meet the needs of those around us.

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