Exposing health and safety myths
More than 600 people have approached the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Myth Busters Challenge Panel in its first three years to query health and safety rules. In the majority off cases, these proved to be excuses with no bearing in law. In business settings, they include office bans on paper clips and a fish and chip shop that would not allow customers to add their own salt and pepper. HSE says it has reduced the overall stock of health and safety legislation by 50%. A legislative package is currently going through Parliament that will enable 1.8 million self-employed jobs to be exempt from health and safety law if they present no risk of harm to others.
The health benefits of plants at work
Workers who have a plant on or near their desk take fewer sick days and tend to be happier according to Protecting.co.uk. Its analysis of recent research studies suggests that workers have a greater sense of responsibility if they have a living thing to care for and this is reflected in their work. A greener office space results in a 15% decline in sick leave in the long term. Plants have also been proven to reduce anxiety, depression, anger and fatigue.
Easter holidays cost home businesses £220 million
New research from Direct Line for Business reveals that 60% of business owners who work from home take time off over the Easter holidays to be with their children. On average, they take 20 hours off a week during school breaks. It is estimated that this costs businesses £220 million over the Easter break and around £658 million during the six-week summer holiday. On the plus side, 30% of parents that work from home say their children learn entrepreneurial skills as a result.
Low inflation “a good thing” say top economists
Annual CPI inflation in February 2015 was 0.0%, a new historical low. David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), predicts that inflation could fall into “negative territory” this year. He said: “Together with higher earnings, lower inflation is boosting people’s spending power, and will contribute to economic growth in the year ahead.” James Sproule, chief economist of the Institute of Directors (IoD), agreed that low inflation is: “putting extra spending power directly into people’s pockets and is acting as a further catalyst to economic growth.”
The truth about bonuses
Bonuses may not be the best way to reward and motivate staff, according to new research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The report, Show me the money! The Behavioural Science of Reward, suggests alternative approaches to reward may be more effective. The authors found that employees’ perceptions of rewards are defined by circumstance – for instance, a bonus given to all may be perceived as having less value if the recipient considers their own performance to be stronger than that of others. Jonny Gifford, CIPD research adviser, said: “We must acknowledge that monetary rewards aren’t everything and that they can even distort people’s motivation.”
Consumers prefer online to high street shopping
A poll of polls has shown that consumers do, marginally, prefer shopping online compared to visiting the high street. Fastlane International looked at research results from a range of sources including PwC, UPS and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). David Jinks, Fastlane’s head of PR, said: “It really does seem that we have reached a significant tipping point. Some 15,000 people have been surveyed in these reports; and while some found consumers had yet to make the switch to online, almost all polls found that the gap was closing between online and offline, compared to previous research.”