The Acas Podcast

In this episode Acas Area Director, Paul Beard, President of the Society of Occupational Medicine, Shriti Pattani and the Managing Director of the Ape Group, Alfie Payne unpack the topic of sickness absence, offering managers first-hand advice and best practice on how they can better manage it.

We discuss:

• What makes a good absence policy
• When and how to utilise occupational health
• The mistakes managers often make when managing sickness absence
• How to support staff through the sickness absence process

Transcript available at: https://www.acas.org.uk/podcast/sickness-absence-how-employers-can-better-manage-sick-leave

Episode Resources:

Acas’s Absence from Work Guidance: https://www.acas.org.uk/absence-from-work

Society of Occupational Medicine: https://www.som.org.uk/work-and-health/information-employers

Training on sickness absence in the workplace here.

Read Dr Kabir Abraham Varghese (Society of Occupational Medicine) blog on referring employees to occupational health: https://www.acas.org.uk/helping-smes-understand-occupational-health

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It is important for employers to recognise and take steps to reduce work-related stress for their staff, encourage them staff to seek help at the earliest opportunity if they begin to experience stress.

We are joined by Rob McGreal, HSE Policy Lead for work-related stress and mental health and Francoise Woolley, Acas Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing.

We discuss:

·        What is work-related stress

·        Legal considerations

·        Supporting health and wellbeing 

Transcript available at https://www.acas.org.uk/podcast/work-related-stress-lifting-the-pressure-at-work

Episode resources:

Advice and guidance on how to support mental health and wellbeing at work: https://www.acas.org.uk/supporting-mental-health-workplace

Training on mental health in the workplace here

Caroline Bradshaw’s blog on ‘Make it routine to prevent work-related stress’: https://www.acas.org.uk/make-it-routine-to-prevent-work-related-stress

Kate Nowicki’s blog on ‘Handling change, avoid stress’: https://workright.campaign.gov.uk/blog-handle-change-avoid-stress

HSE stress and mental health at work advice and guidance: https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/

HSE Working Minds Campaign: https://workright.campaign.gov.uk/campaigns/working-minds/

The campaign is calling for a culture change across Britain’s workplaces where recognising and responding to the signs of stress becomes as routine as managing workplace safety.

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In this episode, Acas Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Julie Dennis, and co-founder of Utopia and Token Man, Daniele Fiandaca, explore the importance of allyship in the pursuit for gender equality in the workplace, and in wider society.

This episode will cover a variety of allyship-related topics, some of which include; what is allyship, how men and women engaging in and committing to allyship benefits everyone, and suggestions for what organisations and leaders can do to encourage allyship, and reduce gender disparities in their workplace.

Episode Resources

·      Equality and Diversity At Acas: https://www.acas.org.uk/about-us/equality-and-diversity-at-acas

·      Menopause and the Law: https://www.acas.org.uk/menopause-at-work/menopause-and-the-law

·      Menopause at Work: https://www.acas.org.uk/menopause-at-work

·      If Your Treated Unfairly at Work: https://www.acas.org.uk/if-youre-treated-unfairly-at-work

·      Acas Training: https://obs.acas.org.uk/

·     Token Man Website: https://www.tokenman.org/

·     Masculinity in the Workplace report: https://www.weareutopia.co/publications

To contact an Acas adviser for specialist support, get in touch

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Transcript at https://www.acas.org.uk/podcast/allyship-positively-moving-the-conversation-of-gender-equality-forward

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Supporting the menopause at work is important for both employers and their staff. In this episode we will discuss how organisations can create a supportive and inclusive environment, and the considerations they should be aware of to help their staff with menopause at work.

We are joined by Haitham Hamoda, Clinical Lead for the menopause service at King's College Hospital and the immediate past Chair from the British Menopause Society, and Kate Nowicki, Director of Dispute Resolution at Acas.

We discuss:

·        How to handle menopause at work

·        Creating a supportive environment

·        Legal rights and considerations

Episode resources:

Advice and guidance on how to handle menopause at work: https://www.acas.org.uk/menopause-at-work

The British Menopause Society support and advice: https://thebms.org.uk

Simone Cheng’s blog on ‘Normalising the menopause’: https://www.acas.org.uk/normalising-the-menopause

Michelle Piertney’s blog on ‘Breaking the silence on the menopause’: https://www.acas.org.uk/breaking-the-silence-on-the-menopause

To contact an Acas adviser for specialist support, get in touch

Sign up to menopause and the workplace training

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Transcript available at www.acas.org.uk/podcast/discussing-menopause-at-work

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Experiencing a bereavement can be a daunting and unsettling time. In this episode we discuss the support that organisations can give to help their staff with a bereavement, and the considerations they should be aware of, to provide a supportive and empathetic environment at work.

We are joined by Tracey Taylor-Huckfield, Director of People and Corporate Services at Sue Ryder, Andy Langford, Clinical Director at Cruse, and Lucie Garvin, Subject Matter Expert at Acas.

We discuss:

·        How to handle a bereavement at work

·        Supporting mental health and wellbeing

·        Legal rights and considerations 

Episode resources:

Advice and guidance on how to handle a bereavement at work: https://www.acas.org.uk/time-off-for-bereavement

Download our free bereavement policy template: https://www.acas.org.uk/example-bereavement-policy

Acas Senior Policy Adviser, Adrian Wakeling’s blog on bereavement: https://www.acas.org.uk/working-with-bereavement-a-personal-reflection

Sue Ryder online support: Online Bereavement Support | Sue Ryder

Cruse online support: When your employee is bereaved - Cruse Bereavement Support

To contact an Acas adviser for specialist support, get in touch

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Transcript available at www.acas.org.uk/podcast

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Do all employers take pride in their people? In this episode we focus on the importance of organisations supporting their LGBTI+ communities and what practical steps they can take to be a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

We are joined by Lucie Garvin, Deputy Chair of the Acas LGBTI+ & Allies staff network; Tom Price who is the Senior Leader Champion for the Acas LGBTI+ & Allies staff network and Emma Dunn, Chair of a:gender, the cross-government network supporting trans and intersex staff across government. We discuss:

·        Issues affecting LGBTI+ people at work

·        How to set up an LGBTI+ & Allies staff network

·        Celebrating Pride and continued LGBTI+ support

Episode resources:

Advice and guidance on how to improve equality, diversity and inclusion in your workplace: https://www.acas.org.uk/improving-equality-diversity-and-inclusion

Download our free equality, diversity and inclusion policy template: https://www.acas.org.uk/equality-policy-template

Emma Dunn’s blog on the Equality Act 2010: https://www.acas.org.uk/the-equality-act-2010-agender-and-me

Lucie Garvin’s blog on how Acas relaunched it’s LGBTI+ & Allies staff network: https://www.acas.org.uk/lucie-garvin-our-network-is-helping-to-make-lgbt-history-at-acas-0

Read the findings from research conducted by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) on supporting trans employees in the workplace: https://www.acas.org.uk/supporting-trans-employees-in-the-workplace

To contact an Acas adviser for specialist support, get in touch

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Transcript available at www.acas.org.uk/podcast

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This episode is the first of our new, special edition podcasts on The Future of Work, featuring debate and thought-provoking questions with special guests, on key themes around the future of work. In this episode, Gill Dix, head of policy at Acas, looks at new research commissioned by Acas on the cost of conflict to UK workplaces.

Conflict is an inevitable part of life, but what is the financial cost of conflict to workplaces in the UK? Is it taken seriously by organisations? Does investing in conflict management make sense for all workplaces or just some?

Join Gill and the report’s authors, Richard Saundry, Professor of Human Resource Management and Employment Relations at Sheffield University and Peter Urwin, Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Westminster to unpack the cost of conflict and what we can do about it.

Episode resources:

Read the report on the cost of conflict here: https://www.acas.org.uk/costs-of-conflict

For more resources to help you improve productivity in your workplace, visit: https://www.propelhub.org/

Transcript available at www.acas.org.uk/podcast

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What is good work? Does better people management really make a difference to productivity? In this episode, we focus in on good work in Manchester. We look at how the joint work by Acas, CIPD and Manchester Growth Hub is highlighting just how critical investing in people management skills is to creating good employment – even in a pandemic.

We’re joined by Ian McArthur head of the Greater Manchester good employment charter, Daphne Doody, head of CIPD in northern England, and Terry Duffy, Acas area director for the northwest of England. We unpack:

• The argument and evidence for good work practises
• How better people management changes work for the better
• What impact COVID-19 has had – and might continue to have – on making working lives better

Episode notes:

Manchester’s Good Employment Charter, which also includes links to free resources is here: https://www.gmgoodemploymentcharter.co.uk/

You can read the joint report and find links to useful resources: https://www.gmgoodemploymentcharter.co.uk/news-blogs/posts/2021/april/soft-skills-in-hard-times-why-good-people-management-matters-more-than-ever/

If you're looking for tailored support to improve your workplace culture and practises, check out our website: https://www.acas.org.uk/tailored-support-for-your-workplace

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Transcript available at www.acas.org.uk/podcast

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Does investing in mental wellbeing really bring business benefits? We’re joined by Sarah-Jane Littleford, Head of Responsible Business at Fujitsu Global Delivery in the second of three episodes featuring stories from employers working to improve mental health at work. Sarah-Jane shares: 

• How it makes business sense for Fujitsu to invest in the mental wellbeing of their people. 
• How Fujitsu’s approach to wellbeing has shifted during the pandemic
• Her insights on what’s made the biggest difference

Episode resources: 

For more information on supporting mental health during coronavirus, visit: www.acas.org.uk/mental-health-resources 

For in depth analysis, in our latest policy paper, Adrian Wakeling explores the impact that COVID-19 is having on how workplaces support mental health. 

To contact an Acas adviser for specialist support, get in touch

For podcast and event updates sign up to our free email newsletter

Transcript available at www.acas.org.uk/podcast

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How does a large, complex organisation create a coherent mental wellbeing strategy that works? In the first of three episodes showcasing employers taking action on wellbeing, we’re joined by Martin Short, Head of Wellbeing, Inclusion and Diversity at the Defence Intelligence unit, which is part of the Ministry of Defence. 

This episode is for leaders, managers and advocates for mental health in the workplace. You’ll hear how Martin created a wellbeing strategy with distinct stages, what actions made a difference, and how you can influence others in your organisation to make wellbeing a priority. 

Episode resources: 

The Acas Framework for Positive Mental Health 

Five ways to wellbeing 

Headspace

Mental health first aid

Speak to an Acas adviser for tailored support

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Transcript available at www.acas.org.uk/podcast

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