agenda
Do you find work a pain in the neck?
According to a survey by backpainhelp.com,
more than a third (38%) of UK workers
have suffered back or neck pain as a result
of their work; 31% have had to take time
off work because of it.
Manual workers have a high prevalence of
back pain, but it also affects desk workers, with
31% blaming their office workstation for their
discomfort. One in five (21%) says their set-up
at home gives them a bad back.
Mark Critchley, spokesperson for
backpainhelp.com, said: “Back pain-related
absenteeism has long been an issue, but how
many businesses are actually looking at the
causes? Do they realise that in one in three
instances, work itself is the root of the problem?”
He added: “Over a third of people in our
survey want their employer to take measures
to improve their back health. It would be an
investment that could help cut absenteeism
and affect a business’s bottom line in the
future, which can only be a positive thing.”
Is work killing your back?
Guide to retaining disabled employees
The Business Disability Forum (BDF) has launched a new toolkit with advice on retaining
disabled employees. The Retention Toolkit and Maturity Model,
Retaining great disabled
employees: from ad hoc to best practice
, features more than 80 case studies and best practice
examples from across BDF’s membership.
George Selvanera, Director of Strategy and External Affairs at BDF, said: “We have ever more
employees who need adjustments because of disability, health conditions and the processes of
ageing. By 2020, more than 1 in 3 employees will be aged 50 years or more. Getting it right for
these employees is the right thing to do, but it’s more than that: it is a commercial imperative for
UK PLC.”
Office washrooms damaging morale
Too many small businesses are failing to provide adequate washroom facilities to the
detriment of productivity and staff morale claims Initial Washroom Hygiene.
Its research shows that one in five small businesses are failing to meet legal requirements
for the provision of office toilets. These stipulate that any business with more than five
employees must have at least two toilets available, increasing to a minimum of five for
businesses with 76-100 employees.
One in five employees (19%) is unhappy with the standard of washrooms at their
workplace. Of those, 41% say there are not enough toilets and 39% say surfaces are unclean.
Almost one third (32%) believe their business has been negatively affected by the
standard of its washrooms; 7% said customers and clients had made comments about the
state of their washrooms; and 3% said they had lost business as a result.
Sit down, stand up
As businesses aim to improve the
well-being, comfort and productivity
of employees, more and more are
introducing sit-stand workstations that
encourage movement and changes of
posture. Autonomy Pro from Century
Office lets users move between sitting
and standing positions at the touch of
a button. The desk is height adjustable
from 640mm to 1300mm, even when fully
loaded, with two memory settings for
rapid adjustment to the optimum working
height. The Autonomy Pro switches to
sleep mode after a period of inactivity
and comes with safety features, such
as an anti-crush sensor that detects
obstructions.
