Alas winter is upon us and with that comes rain, wind and sometimes, snow!  With severe weather conditions, employers are often faced with staff calling in to say they can’t physically get into work – either because their normal mode of transport isn’t possible or due to public transport problems. As an employer – you are committed to protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of our staff, but you also need to ensure the business stays operational!  So what do you need to be aware of? Here we’ve set out some of the best prac... Continue reading

Snow and ice can disrupt your business in many ways. Nearly half of us feel compelled to get to work regardless and ‘maintain business as usual’, some have the privilege to work from home and for other unfortunately some are not able to work at all. Here are some tips on how to manage the risk of slips and falls: Check local weather reports regularly and give early warnings of any problems to your employees using a manager managers who can make decisions. Consider and communicate any changes to working hours to accommodate employees th... Continue reading

Most people feel refresher training can be dull and part of a ‘tick box procedure’ that fills them with dread, trying to remember whether they had received the original training. Training is meant to be effective and memorable and refresher training shouldn’t be any different. As part of good management and cultural identity of the company, it acts not only as reinforcement, but also gives employees an opportunity to answer long outstanding questions to help with their own understanding. It also resets the attitude that comes with peo... Continue reading

In the 21 years since I founded International Workplace you can imagine I’ve seen a lot changes. I mentioned at our anniversary party last year that our first ever week in business coincided with Robson and Jerome hitting the top of the charts with ‘Up on the Roof’ and that the cutting edge of internet access was via a 14.4 modem. Fortunately, I don’t really remember too much about Robson and Jerome. But I do remember the pinging and bouncing of the 14.4 US Robotics modem and the way you held your breath in the hope you would conne... Continue reading

Now the festive period is over and the horrible January weather really starts to bite, employers might find themselves receiving calls from staff suffering from  what they think is ‘onedayofferitis’ – so here are some top tips for managing short term absences! 1. Have a good procedure in place: It is useful to have a sound procedure in place for managing absence, including clear guidance for employees on what they need to do when they are off sick including who to contact and by when; how often; and when GP fit notes should be prov... Continue reading