December 21, 2018
More than half of UK ethnic minority citizens believe Brexit will stifle their career
Over half (52 percent) of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnics (BAME) believe that Brexit will negatively impact their career progression compared to only 16 percent of non-BAME. This is according to a new survey commissioned by the Equality Group, an organisation that helps companies attract, retain and develop diverse talent that focuses on diversity and equality within business. Following the referendum in 2016 and the UK’s consequent departure from the European Union, tensions surrounding ‘Britishness’ and what it means to be British reached unprecedented lengths. In May this year, experts from the United Nations expressed concerns regarding the fact that racism and religious intolerance has, in the wake of Brexit, become increasingly acceptable in Britain. Whilst it is possible to statistically monitor the rise in racially motivated hate crimes, of which there was a 40 percent rise (July 2015- 16) succeeding the UK’s decision to leave the EU, monitoring racial discrimination within businesses is a lot more difficult. With this societal and political shift, the report looks at the impact Brexit, with its focus on immigration and the rights to work within the UK, has had on the workers from the BAME community.
Almost half (49 percent) of UK employees admit they speak to colleagues about health concerns before sharing it with a partner or loved one, claims new research by Bupa Health Clinics. Stress, sleep, anxiety and weight problems are among the main concerns being discussed by employees at work, before confiding in those closest to home. The new report found that 46 percent of employees prefer to talk about health with a colleague over a loved one. Many do so with good intentions with more than a third finding it easier to talk to a colleague as they are less likely to worry.
January 3, 2019
Anti-team legislation can make us slaves to individual rights
by Helen Jamieson • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace
Society is becoming more selfish. At least that’s what the most commonly held view on the issue suggests, and it’s only set to get worse. Whether or not you believe the headlines, my 20 plus years’ experience as an HR consultant has led me to believe the hype. Increasingly many (I stress, not all) employees no longer see themselves as part of a team, but are increasingly ‘lone wolves’ single mindedly pursuing their needs and wants above those of the team. Each decision they make is with ‘I’ first and foremost, with ‘we’ maybe just a passing thought. It could be argued this was inevitable. How do you create a culture of team engagement, and group morale when for decades UK workplace legislation has focused almost exclusively on Individual Rights, rather than the ‘rights’ of the group? I’d argue it is simply not possible to develop successful teams where each individual has numerous legal rights but no corresponding responsibilities. My wish for 2019 would be for the government to set out a ‘responsibility’ alongside every ‘right’ it confers.
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