Controlling Stress and Increasing Energy

January 2009 is now over and so far this year we have had some ‘interesting’ weather and gloomy economic news both contributing to the usual human paradigm at this time of year. People may be feeling low in energy and disturbed by the uncertainty that prevails.

Additionally, according to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), one of the key business challenges this year is to manage work-related stress which is likely to become one of the most dangerous risks to business in the early part of the 21st century.

Stress occurs in many circumstances and a certain amount of pressure and stress is healthy and can improve performance; however when it is excessive then the beneficial effect is lost and it becomes harmful.

Some of the causes of stress are:-

• Lack of control – when we have little or no control over what we do or what happens to us
• Lack of clarity over roles and responsibilities
• Organisational change

All these things are likely to be with us for sometime!

I find so many people who are suffering stress are at the ‘effect’ end of the Cause > Effect equation where everything happens to them, they feel like a victim and it just keeps happening.

Helping people cope with stress and learning Stress Management techniques is something that can remotivate staff and increase the energy around. Managers need to recognise the effect they have, positive and negative, and how to identify the ‘stressors’ in today’s workplace to help minimise the amount of time lost.

Under existing Health & Safety legislation employers have a duty to undertake risk assessments and manage activities to reduce the incidence of stress at work.

At hersh guy we have a range of coaching and training programmes that are aimed at individuals, teams and managers and promote well being, helping people feel in control of their lives again and remotivated; having more energy to tackle the challenges.

Please do contact me for more information.

Tel: 01883 342218

Email: colleen@hershguy.com

Finally I would like to wish you all a successful, prosperous and happy 2009.

Colleen Guy

Leadership Development

In today’s climate more than ever before it is the Leadership of an organisation that will make the real difference in the success of that organisation and its people.

Research (Harvard Business Review) has shown that 86% of a leader’s effectiveness is down to their Emotional Intelligence rather than stemming purely from their technical ability.

At hersh guy we have designed and delivered Leadership Programmes across all sectors and have received excellent feedback and results. In fact a programme we designed for a Housing Association won the 2008 London Excellence Award for Leadership.

Our programmes are individually tailored for the organisation and the individuals involved against agreed outcomes and usually consist of a series of workshops and 1-2-1 coaching.

Some examples of workshops are:-

• Emotional Intelligence & Leadership
• Presenting with Impact
• Coaching Skills for Managers
• Communication & Influencing Skills

More details of hersh guy are on our website www.hershguy.com

Training that delivers results

In today’s climate training has to really work and deliver business results when there is pressure on costs. Employees are still looking for development and it is the organisations who continue with their programmes that get the ‘edge’.

I have highlighted below some of our courses that are available and known for adding value and producing results.

• Presenting with Impact :- the ability to enhance your presentation skills really makes a difference and this one day programme centres on personal impact, confidence, credibility and presenting to audiences no matter how large or senior
• Interview Skills :- a key skill for anyone involved in recruitment or selection where mistakes are costly. We cover questioning and listening skills, telephone interviewing, competency based questions and relevant employment law. Practice sessions are a feature and we use an actor for these
• Management Development :- a modular programme designed to maximise managers' available time and consists of six workshops; Performance Management, Interview Skills, Communicating with and Motivating your Team, Coaching Skills, Managing Change and Leadership. This programme can be tailored for your specific needs. We also have our suite of programmes on our website.

A leadership programme we developed for one of our clients has recently won the London Excellence Award for Leadership (2008).

To find out more about any of the above, please do call me on 01883 342218 or email me colleen@hershguy.com.

Ancient Psychology for Modern Times

We are all becoming more and more aware of the mind/body connections and ancient spiritual practices were also well attuned to this concept. One of the oldest spiritual practices is Shamanism – a way for people to take charge of their own healing, develop a relationship with nature and learn to listen to their intuitive side.

With today’s advances in medical imaging, we know that Shamanic practices stimulate our own serotonin neurotransmitter systems which release ‘feel good’ chemicals. These increase our sense of well being as well as enhance our physical health.

As a start to exploring these practices I am running a 2 day introductory workshop to Shamanism as a way of bringing the knowledge to those interested in learning more and finding out what can be achieved.

What will be covered?

• The Medicine Wheel – a mandala where we can work the wheel for ourselves and use it with businesses to see amongst other things what is holding them back; and the ‘vision’ – are they on purpose?
• The Sacred Hoop – a perfect vehicle for our unconscious mind and a tool to gain deeper awareness and understanding of ourselves
• Hawaiian Healing Garden – a symbolic garden vision quest which can be used for ourselves and others
• A technique to let go of problems and issues

There will also be guided visualisations and other techniques which can be used for yourself, in coaching and in business.

I will personally guide you and show you how to use the techniques in your life.

What will this cost?

The fee for the 2 days is £450 plus VAT = £528.75 which includes all materials. You can pay by cheque or credit card.

Here is what previous attendees have said:-

“The material covered can be easily combined in all areas of my life.”

“Amazing experience – I have discovered a sense of connectedness to my true self that I needed.”

“Very helpful for potential development and for working with others.”

“It challenges your ideas and preconceptions.”

“Lovely environment, great people and wonderful trainer.”

Final Details

The next dates available are:-

• 19 & 20 September
• Venue – tbc

Please do let us know if you are interested and I will reserve you a place. Call us on 01883 342 218 or via email info@hershguy.com

I look forward to hearing from you.

Transform your Communication

I had a perfect example recently of misunderstood communication with a prospective client (all now resolved!) and it made me think again about this important skill.

Communication is at the heart of everything we do and so has the greatest chance of something going wrong. We never know what is behind someone’s words, which reflect in their behaviour, unless we take the time to connect with them.

So my top tips for Transforming your Communication techniques are:-

• Listen to what people have to say and give them time to say it
• Ask questions – don’t make assumptions
• Show respect for their point of view
• Be supportive; understand the issues they are facing and what their needs are
• Be open and honest – share your views with them
• Get their ideas – don’t just tell them what to do
• Keep your emotions in check
• Be responsive without necessarily agreeing
• Follow through and do what you say you will do

For those of you who are managing teams these are good tips to improve your Emotional Intelligence – a key trait of high performing managers and leaders.

At hersh guy we run workshops relating to many areas of communication such as Coaching and Mentoring Skills, Presenting with Impact, and Communicating with Influence. Do call me to talk about the benefits at 01883 342 218.

Employment Law Updates

Flexible Working to be Extended

From April 2009 the right to request flexible working arrangements will be extended to parents of children up to age 16.

The government has decided against a phased implementation (as some had predicted) because it would create "confusion for employers and staff".

Remember that the right to request flexible working is exactly that - a right to request. It is not a right to work flexibly. There are also strict eligibility requirements and only one request can be made in a 12-month period.

It might be a good idea to review existing Flexible Working policies now to ensure that the right policies and procedures are place, rather than waiting until next year.

While considering informal requests to work flexibly is fine, not having a consistent procedure which applies to all staff, can put an employer at risk of accusations of not creating an even playing field.

Agency Workers to get "Equal Rights"

New law is to be introduced to give agency workers the right to terms and conditions of employment comparable to those of permanent staff.

This surprise announcement came as the government, CBI and TUC reached agreement on a way forward following last week's announcement of the draft legislative programme for 2008-09.

While the details of the proposed legislation are not yet available, we do have an idea of the framework:

After 12 weeks in a given job there will be an entitlement to equal treatment.

"Equal treatment" will be defined to mean at least the basic working and employment conditions that would apply to the workers concerned if they had been recruited directly.

There is some small relief for employers as they won't have to make the same pension provision for their agency workers as they do for their permanent staff. Also, the arrangements will be reviewed after a suitable period to establish how they are working in practice.

The government will now consult with other governments in Europe to see whether it can reach agreement on the exact terms of the Directive.

The government hopes to introduce the legislation this Autumn. As ever, the devil will be in the detail but what is certain is that this announcement paves the way for an important extension of rights for a significant number of people within the labour force.

Pregnancy and Work: What you need to know as an employer

A six page summary produced by the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform – no substitute for an up to date Maternity Leave policy, but a useful guide.

Click here to visit our website

Employment Law Updates

This blog will cover the following 3 points:

• S~x Discrimination Act changes
• Corporate Manslaughter
• Maternity, Adoption, Paternity and SSP rates

S~x Discrimination Act changes

The S~x Discrimination Act 1975 (Amendment) Regulations 2008 make various significant changes to the S~x Discrimination Act to bring it properly into line with the Equal Treatment Directive.

In essence, the regulations will do 4 things:

1. introduce a revised definition of s~x-related harassment with effect from 6 April 2008
2. increase employers’ potential liability for third-party harassment with effect from 6 April 2008
3. extend a woman’s right of protection from pregnancy/maternity discrimination with effect from 6 April 2008
4. improve rights during compulsory and additional maternity leave with effect from 5 October 2008

1. Definition of s~x harassment

Currently a person subjects a woman to harassment if, on the ground of her s~x, he engages in unwanted conduct that has the purpose or effect of violating her dignity, or of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for her. The phrase ‘on the ground of her s~x’ is replaced with the phrase ‘related to her s~x or that of another person’. This much broader definition of s~x-related harassment will mean that, from 6 April 2008, people who are not subject to the unwanted conduct themselves also now receive protection. An example might be a woman (or man) in an office where s~xual banter is rife. Although it might not be directed at her (or him) or caused by her/his presence, that person will have a claim if it creates an offensive environment for them.

2. Harassment by third parties

From 6 April 2008 an employer will be liable for s~x discrimination when a third party (e.g. customers, clients or contacts) subjects an employee to s~x-related or s~xual harassment – but only if the employer has failed to take reasonably practicable steps to stop this happening. The most obvious implication of this is for employers who have staff in customer-facing roles, as employers could end up carrying the can for harassment by customers. This provision will only apply if the employer knows that the woman has been subject to harassment in the course of her employment on at least two other occasions by a third party. Employers will need to have rules/procedures in place to deal with this. They will also need to inform third parties of their obligations in this regard, particularly as the regulations make it clear that liability will be incurred irrespective of whether the third party is the same or a different person on each occasion.

3. Abolition of comparator

The requirement for a comparator in cases of alleged pregnancy/maternity discrimination is removed from 6 April 2008. A woman will now only have to show that she has been treated less favourably on the ground of her pregnancy or the fact that she took or sought to take maternity leave. She no longer has to compare her treatment to that of a woman who is not pregnant or taking maternity leave.

4. Terms and conditions during maternity leave

Women whose expected week of childbirth begins on or after 5 October 2008 will have greater rights in two respects. Firstly, as well as contractual bonuses (to which they are already entitled), women will be entitled to discretionary (i.e. non-contractual) bonuses during the compulsory 2-week maternity leave period. Secondly, the distinction between ordinary maternity leave (OML) and additional maternity leave (AML) will be removed in relation to terms and conditions. Women will be entitled to the same (non-pay) benefits irrespective of whether they are taking OML or AML, e.g. continuance of annual leave, health club membership, company car, mobile phone etc.,etc.

Corporate Manslaughter

The provisions of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 came into force on 6 April 2008.

A few bulleted highlights appear below. However, many of the issues here relate to the implementation and observance of a relevant and effective health and safety policy. Health and safety is becoming an increasingly complex area and an internal or external expert review of policy/procedures may be appropriate.

At the end of this section are links to two PDF documents that may be useful.

• Both large and small companies can be held liable for manslaughter where gross failures in the management of health and safety cause death
• An organisation will be guilty of the new offence of corporate manslaughter (corporate homicide in Scotland) if the way in which its senior management managed or organised its activities caused a person’s death and was a gross breach of a duty of care the organisation owed them
• Senior management is defined as those persons who play a significant role in the decision-making process about how the company’s activities are managed and organised. It includes not only those who manage activities but also those who play a significant role in the making of those decisions.
• The offence applies to all corporate bodies
• The new offence targets the liability of organisations themselves and does not apply to individual directors or others
• The new offence does not impose new regulations on business but it does reinforce the need for organisations to be up to date with health and safety law
• Companies (and in particular directors) should ensure that they are well prepared by doing all that they can to comply with all existing health and safety legislation, Approved Codes of Practice, guidance and regulations, as their failure to comply may be taken into consideration by a jury in reaching a decision. Directors will also want to satisfy themselves that they have an adequate ‘paper trail’ demonstrating their attention to health and safety through policies, procedures and practices, and should arrange for a legal audit of their procedures so as to ensure compliance with health and safety legislation
• Penalties include an unlimited fine (probably based on a percentage of the company’s turnover), remedial and publicity orders. A remedial order requires an organisation to take steps to remedy any management failure that led to death. The court can impose an order publicising the fact that the company has been convicted of the offence, providing details, the amount of fine imposed and the terms of any remedial order made
• The new offence applies in England, Wales and Scotland

Click on the links below for further information:-

• Guidance from the Ministry of Justice
• Leading Health and Safety at Work: guidance from the HSC and IoD on directors’ H&S duties

Maternity, Adoption, Paternity and SSP rates

With effect from April 2008:-

• The weekly rate of statutory maternity pay (SMP), statutory paternity pay (SPP) and statutory adoption pay (SAP) will increase to £117.18
• The standard rate of statutory sick pay (SSP) will increase to £75.40
• The earnings threshold for the above payments will increase to £90

If you need any further information, please do contact Keith Gleadall or Colleen Guy at info@hershguy.com or 01883 342 218