Health and wellbeing
For most employers, the question is no longer whether to invest in employee wellbeing - it is whether they can prove it is working. As HR budgets face deeper cuts, the ability to measure and articulate wellbeing's value has become as important as the investment itself. How can organisations close the gap between the outcomes they are seeing and the evidence needed to demonstrate and defend wellbeing investment?
In a simpler world, it would be possible to separate our "work lives" from our "home lives" - our personal characteristics would not adversely influence our workplace experiences. However, argues global inequalities specialist Georgie Williams, if anything has been learned through diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the workplace over the last decade, it is that the world of work is inextricably linked with our personal lives and the wider societal context we find ourselves in.
While workplace support is now widespread for menopause, men's health is still awaiting its moment. Are organisations unintentionally sidelining male employees in the pursuit of inclusive health strategies?
Burnout isn't just a buzzword - it's a workplace crisis. More than 10 million UK employees are off work due to burnout each year. According to MetLife, this costs businesses over £700 million in sick days. As HR professionals, leaders and people managers, says Debbie Kleiner, it's time we stopped relying on yoga and helplines as surface-level fixes and tackled the root causes head-on.
Should managers always have all the answers? Of course not. But many still feel like they should - and that expectation can hold them back from having the kind of open, honest conversations that truly support their teams. Debbie Kleiner has some suggestions about how HR can help to adapt management styles to fit the modern workplace.
The importance of workplace healthcare benefits should never be underestimated - particularly as access to healthcare disproportionately affects workers across the breadth of the intersectional identity spectrum, says gender and sexuality consultant Georgie Williams.
HR professionals have been navigating their organisations through unprecedented times over the last couple of years. Here, drawing on our latest HR roles and responsibilities survey, we look at how organisations are preparing for the 12 months ahead and pick out some of the areas making HR's priority list for 2024.
Mindfulness can be a powerful tool to help HR promote engagement and develop team cohesiveness. XpertHR's in-house mindfulness teacher, Christopher Bryant, explains how to make mindfulness work for you.
Organisations are struggling to attract talent, but it doesn't have to be that way. Based on our survey findings, we explore ways to help employers address the skills shortage and stand out from the competition.
Employers are increasingly focused on using health initiatives to remove barriers to gender equality, diversity and inclusion. We round up five gender-focused health-related policies that have caught on in UK workplaces in recent years.
Commentary and insights: HR and legal information and guidance relating to health and wellbeing.