About Jackie Le Poidevin

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Worst things bosses have said to employees dealing with cancer

Worst things bosses have said to employees dealing with cancer

It’s not unreasonable for an employee diagnosed with cancer to look to their employer for assistance, but according to one support organisation, many employers handle the situation incredibly tactlessly. To coincide with World Cancer Awareness Day today, RedArc, which provides nurses for employees with serious or long-term health conditions, has issued a list of the worst things people with cancer reported hearing from their managers. Over the past year, its nurses logged statements such as, “Perhaps you should retire”, “You’ve had your treatment now, so you should be fine” and “How long will you be off?” More →

Outdoor workers exposed to 15 percent more pollution than average

Outdoor workers exposed to 15 percent more pollution than average

pollutionOutdoor workers in the capital are exposed to 15 percent more pollution than the average Londoner, new research has claimed. Over six months, the Canairy app developed by King College London gathered data from two groups of Londoners, some mostly working in offices and others mostly working outside. Both groups were exposed to high levels of air pollution but those working outside fared worst, being exposed to air pollution breaching guidelines for NO2, particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and ozone. Some maximum exposures were nearly two thirds higher than recommended World Health Organisation (WHO) limits. More →

“Top employers” in UK and Ireland announced for 2020

“Top employers” in UK and Ireland announced for 2020

top employersMore than 600 business and HR leaders gathered at London’s Hilton on Park Lane on 30 January 2020 as the Top Employers Institute, an international certifier recognising excellence in employee conditions, revealed its list of certified UK and Ireland top employers for 2020. The host, comedian Ed Gamble, congratulated the 92 certified employers (82 in the UK and 10 in Ireland). There were 10 newly certified organisations, including Reckitt Benckiser, a consumer goods company, clothing and retail brand Puma and Charles Hurst, a Northern Irish new and used vehicle dealer. More →

Third of people say they will never buy electric vehicle

Third of people say they will never buy electric vehicle

electric vehicleSix in ten new cars must be electric by 2030 yet a third of people have told researchers they won’t ever buy an electric vehicle. The UK government’s current policy is to insist that by 2030, all new cars and vans sold in the UK should be zero-emissions capable – that means battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric or hydrogen. More →

Uber workers cling to “precarious” existence

Uber workers cling to “precarious” existence

UberPolicy makers should resist claims by Uber that its drivers fall into a middle ground between traditional employees and independent contractors, a new study says. The research report, Profits Uber Everything?, by Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, examines Uber’s argument that its drivers are “independent workers” who are, in some respects, like individuals working for others and in other respects are like independent businesses. The company is only trying to establish this new category to exonerate itself of any responsibility for the workers, the researchers claim. More →

Communicating employee rewards boosts engagement

Communicating employee rewards boosts engagement

rewardsCommunicating a business’s “employee value proposition” or EPV – the package of rewards that it offers in return for the person’s performance at work – is having an increasingly positive impact on employee engagement, retention and recruitment, research has claimed. Aon’s Benefits & Trends 2020 Survey (registration required) suggests that although the percentage of employers who have, or are working towards, an EVP remains similar to last year (76 percent), the number that now communicate it to staff has increased. Of those employers that have an EVP, 77 percent now explain it to employees, an increase of 9 percent on 2019.

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Gig economy is a “trap” for vulnerable workers

Gig economy is a “trap” for vulnerable workers

The promised flexibility of the gig economy is an illusion for many workers, who need to put in long hours to make ends meet, a new report has claimed. The report by Doteveryone, a think tank set up by businesswoman Martha Lane Fox, calls on the government to create a ‘minimum gig wage’ to ensure workers have enough to live on after expenses such as petrol. It also urges employers to be clearer with workers about their true pay and to inform customers where their money goes. More →

Gig economy workers should not all have equal rights

Gig economy workers should not all have equal rights

gig economyPolicy makers should beware of classifying all gig economy workers as “employees”, a new research report has claimed. Such workers vary in age, income and education in a similar way to the traditional workforce and crafting regulations that treat both fully committed and occasional gig workers as one group is unlikely to be an efficient solution, the report from IZA World of Labor contends. More →

Firms swap overseas placements for short-term trips

Firms swap overseas placements for short-term trips

overseas placementMany companies are moving away from long-term overseas placements in favour of short-term transfers, a report has suggested. To reduce costs and meet changing business and worker needs, firms are shifting from typical transfers of one to three years to moves of around three to 12 months, KPMG International‘s latest Global Assignment Policies and Practices (GAPP) survey says. Although this shift allows organisations more flexibility, they must implement the necessary processes to remain compliant with immigration and tax rules, the report warns. More →

Third of job seekers suspect class discrimination

Third of job seekers suspect class discrimination

Two-thirds of employees believe class is an issue when it comes to securing a new job, with one in three saying they’ve been discriminated against because of it, a new study has claimed. In contrast, more than half of employers said they don’t think class discrimination is an issue when hiring. More →

Is your biggest competitor already working for you?

Is your biggest competitor already working for you?

competitorEmployers worried about rivals poaching their staff should be looking closer to home to spot their next competitor, a new study has claimed. In a survey of 3,000 UK employees by Synergy Creative, nearly half (47 percent) said that they would love to be their own boss, raising the prospect of them setting up in competition to their existing employer. Of those intending to find a new job in 2020, a third said their ideal job is to work for themselves, compared to 25 percent who are looking to move to another company. More →

People ten times more likely to stay in their job for friendships than a pay rise

People ten times more likely to stay in their job for friendships than a pay rise

friendshipsFollowing reports that job applications on the first working Monday of the New Year spiked by 89 percent compared to the average Monday in December, many UK businesses may be missing a trick in their efforts to retain staff, new research has suggested. When researchers commissioned by Eko asked 1,000 employees what factors would make them stay in their job for longer, they were ten times more likely to stay put for friendships than for a pay rise. Indeed, only 3 percent of workers cited a pay rise as something that would make them stay with their employer for longer. More →