HR musings with added sparkle!
After recent events in my personal life, I have realised that my previous blog post appeared to be not very “me” and in all honesty, I thought I would throw in the towel and place the blog on hold for a while.
Thankfully, I have decided against that, because I love writing and using my platform to inspire others to follow their career dreams and aspirations.
If you’ve picked up a newspaper or seen the news recently, it seems to be all doom and gloom in the headlines, some even going as far as “naming and shaming” particular employers which has created a workplace minefield. We’ve seen cases of bullying, racism, homophobia and sexual harassment, and whilst none of this is new, we live in a time where people are starting to speak more openly about these really important topics. The question for employers and employees alike – what can, and what should we do about it?
As humans, we always have a choice on how we act and respond to events that go on around us, it is our actions that make a huge impact. When I created HR acts of kindness in 2016, my aim was to create kinder workplaces and inspire others to create their own versions of kindness to spread within their workplaces as well as the wider community.
Continue reading “How kindness can create sustainability at work #HRactsofkindness”
Are you someone who struggles to get motivated to study and with another bank holiday, how could you possibly consider studies over social times with friends or family?
I am one of those people, I find it hard to remain focussed at times, so here are some tips that I keep in mind to keep me on track for my studies, even over bank holiday weekends!
Continue reading “Bank holiday study blues? How to rediscover your motivation! #ICSrealstories”
Kindness. It’s a simple, yet an incredibly powerful word, isn’t it? Kindness is something we can see, it is rare but we can see it, however to me it has always been a feeling or an experience, I don’t go looking for it, but I am proud to create a small part of it to bring joy to people.
When I created HR acts of kindness three years ago, it wasn’t for publicity or to get more viewers on my blog, it was simply to enable HR to use a different tool in its extensive toolkit. We often hear the phrase “be more human” but being human, to me anyway, means being kind to everyone you encounter. Kindness is one of the most basic foundations of being human, it is inexpensive and the results can last forever.
So now that the April showers have cleared, it is time to get a spring in our step and create a new wave of HR acts of kindness, to get involved, read on!
Continue reading “Hello May! Its time to create a culture of kindness #HRactsofkindness”
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?
Natalie Ellis HR 