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Peter Marno - Latest News

Latest News

Sickness absence - genuine or not?

7 February, 2012
The last two sentences in this article in HR Magazine are most important and, when coupled with best management practices, will ensure employers min...

Employee benefits - effective management tools?

31 January, 2012
This is a sensible article in HR Magazine and employers will do well to consider each of the sections. Section 4 is possibly the most challenging as ...
  • Healthy rewards
    16 January, 2012
    This account of a well-being programme in HR Magazine shows what can be done and Philips Avent are...
  • Knowledge is best...
    10 January, 2012
    As is often the case this article in HR Magazine is common sense. All employees react more favour...
  • Fit notes - do they help?
    4 January, 2012
    It would have been a very optimistic employer who thought that the introduction of Fit Notes, as m...
  • Helping those with "stress"
    21 December, 2011
    This article in HR Magazine refers to "stress" - which is a nebulous term. We must presume, there...
  • Managing mental ill-health
    19 December, 2011
    The timing of this article in HR Magazine is not brilliant as its message is likely to be lost ove...
  • Black/Frost report - some comments
    6 December, 2011
    Both comments in this article in HR Magazine are sensible and are some of a range that have been ma...
  • Anti stigma
    2 December, 2011
    This article in HR Magazine is very good news for employees of Transport for London. Employees wi...
  • Managing sickness absence
    22 November, 2011
    There are many vested interests quoted in this article in HR Magazine and one possible outcome, th...
  • Managing wellness
    21 November, 2011
    This initiative outlined in HR Magazine is to be applauded and, it is to be hoped, will help promo...
  • Managing sickness absence
    21 November, 2011
    Assuming that the findings expressed in this article in HR Magazine are correct then we should all...
  • Fit notes
    18 November, 2011
    This article in IFA online states that the DWP finds Fit Notes 'effective' - they would wouldn't th...
  • Equality Act - a year on
    14 November, 2011
    I agree with this article in HR Magazine that employers should have updated their ways of working p...
  • All employees...
    11 November, 2011
    This article in HR Magazine deserves wide circulation.  All employees are 'second hand goods'! Eve...
  • Mental ill-health and treatment
    3 November, 2011
    This report in Health Insurance & Protection doesn't help the employer decide what best to do to re...
  • Stress awareness
    2 November, 2011
    Stress, as used in this article in HR Magazine, is a word we use every day and understand as a reas...
  • Healthcare Trusts
    18 October, 2011
    This article in Health Insurance & Protection is interesting in that it both shows what is not incl...
  • Managing the health of older employees
    11 October, 2011
    There is much comment on managing older employees - this article in HR Magazine is the most recent....
  • Cancer support in the workplace
    5 October, 2011
    This article in HR Magazine tells of an excellent initiative and employers should incorporate suppo...
  • Cost of absence for SMEs
    5 October, 2011
    The cost of sickness absence as reported in HR Magazine is staggering - but it need not be so high ...
  • Protecting employees
    3 October, 2011
    While this article in IFAonline understandably concentrates on protection products and makes the po...
  • Insurer's products
    27 September, 2011
    This article in Health Insurance and Protection introduces some interesting challenges to how emplo...
  • Mental health in the workplace
    22 September, 2011
    Everything in this article in HR Magazine makes sense - both common and commercial. Yes, mental i...
  • Managing disabilities
    17 September, 2011
    This article in HR Magazine mentions the good principle of employing those with disabilities but i...
  • Needs-based consultancy
    12 September, 2011
    This article in Money Marketing is timely and confirms what some have been thinking for some time. ...
  • 'Flu
    7 September, 2011
    As always David Fairhurst's articles in HR Magazine are thought provoking. However, let us stick ...
  • Whose responsibility - Line or HR?
    31 August, 2011
    I presume this article in HR Magazine covers managing sickness absence, booking holidays, dealing ...
  • EAP - value?
    17 August, 2011
    HR Magazine reports that an EAP will help deal with suicides.  It is logical to think that an EAP w...
  • Fuelling the workforce
    15 August, 2011
    This article in ifaonline has much to commend it.  As it is long I will limit my comments.  Conside...
  • Sickness absence - elephant in the room?
    7 August, 2011
    Statistics, as quoted in this article in HR Magazine, can prove most things - but most commentators...
  • Waiting for mental health referrals
    4 August, 2011
    Sadly, this article in Health Insurance & Protection is no surprise - and two immediate points need...
  • GIP at work
    27 July, 2011
    This article in Health Insurance and Protection is useful in that it shows the what can be achieved...
  • Absence messages for managers
    25 July, 2011
    There is a lot of information in this HR Magazine article - so what are the key messages for emplo...
  • Managing long term absence
    15 July, 2011
    Long term absence is a problem, as outlined in this article in HR Magazine - often because the like...
  • Finance keener on HR strategy than HR
    12 July, 2011
    "Our staff are our most important asset" is an oft quoted line. Certainly if employees were cars ...
  • Cost of healtcare
    4 July, 2011
    This article in Employee Benefits has, at best, a general value as it muddles healthcare costs with...
  • Health is wealth
    27 June, 2011
    There can be no doubting the message in this article in HR Magazine - managing the health care of e...
  • Cancer support in the workplace
    23 June, 2011
    All illnesses have an impact on employers as well as the employee/patient.  How each is handled ref...
  • Empowering managers to manage health
    22 June, 2011
    Obviously this article in HR Magazine has many commentators nodding in agreement! In my area of c...
  • On line mental health resources
    20 June, 2011
    This article in HR Magazine reports on an innitiative by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.  Manag...
  • Savings potential for employers
    25 May, 2011
    This article in HR Magazine quotes some very big figures which make it obvious to manage individua...
  • Mental Health and Absence
    20 May, 2011
    This article in Employee Benefits is both good and bad!  It is good that the situation is highlight...
  • Wellbeing strategies
    17 May, 2011
    There should be no surprise in this article from HR Magazine that employers implement strategies to...
  • Managing long term absences
    29 March, 2011
    Yes, this issue reported in HR Magazine is a recognised problem and, typically, large organisations...
  • Manage the managers to mitigate the costs
    14 March, 2011
    In this long article in MoneyMarketing it is argued that how companies approach claims management w...
  • Salary replacement
    10 March, 2011
    Financial protection makes sense - as discussed in this article in HR Magazine - if income ensures ...
  • The trend is upwards again for sickness absence
    25 February, 2011
    It is always interesting when articles in HR Magazine, like this, are published. It is well known...
  • Food for Life
    16 February, 2011
    It is a truism that much of our health is dictated by our life style - and one of the most importan...
  • Mental ill-health in the workplace
    4 February, 2011
    The concept mentioned in this article in HR Magazine is good - but can employers afford to wait unt...
  • Helping line managers to support staff better
    28 January, 2011
    More common sense in this article from HR Magazine! Another way of looking at ill-health risk mana...
  • Women believe GPs rely too heavily on anti-depressants
    13 January, 2011
    This article in Health Insurance & Protection is not new but does deserve to be considered by emplo...
  • Employers' views on cancer 'outdated'
    8 December, 2010
    I agree with the thrust of this article in Health Insurance and Protection.  Not only is cancer tre...
  • Employers 'ill-prepared' for Incapacity Benefit review
    6 December, 2010
    This timely article in HR Magazine is another reminder to employers to ensure they are prepared and...
  • Employers 'will be champions of public health'
    1 December, 2010
    Mmmmm.  The initiative described in this article in Health Insurance and Protection magazine is not...
  • Deafness/impaired hearing in the workplace
    26 November, 2010
    With the introduction of The Equality Act 2010 employers can no longer make a job offer conditiona...
  • Using rehabilitation services
    18 November, 2010
    This article in HR Magazine makes total sense and, although obviously aimed at increasing their wo...
  • Add value to the bottom line
    11 November, 2010
    I agree with this article in HR Magazine that there are legitimate ways of reducing the cost of a ...
  • Stress - The final taboo
    4 November, 2010
    Yesterday was Stress Awareness Day and this article in Medical News Today about research from the m...
  • Stress related absence
    25 October, 2010
    This article in HR Magazine is powerful!  Probably, however, it does not come as a surprise that th...
  • Investing in staff health
    12 October, 2010
    This article in HR Magazine says, as so many have, that an investment in a health management servic...
  • The Last Taboo - Mental Health in the Workplace
    5 October, 2010
    This article in Management Today is timely bearing in mind the change brought in by the 2010 Equali...
  • Calculating ROI of a Wellness Programme
    30 September, 2010
    This article in the Employee Wellness Magazine on calculating ROI is good because it both outlines ...
  • Online absence management
    20 September, 2010
    Well done to Baker Tilly - as recorded in this article in HR Magazine.  Baker Tilly is right to en...
  • Fit notes - Advice to GPs
    8 September, 2010
    This article from healthcare republic adds little to any feeling that an employer will have confide...
  • International Care for Flight Crews
    3 September, 2010
    This article in HR Magazine is an excellent example of a company looking after its assets when abro...
  • Complex healthcare
    1 September, 2010
    This article by Dr Mark Simpson of AXA ICAS in Corporate Adviser defines the three purchasing drive...
  • Health is not a commodity
    18 August, 2010
    This article in Corporate Adviser from BUPA is interesting for the following points: It expresse...
  • Health 'benefits' for older workers
    12 August, 2010
    This article in HR Magazine talks about, only, older workers - however there is a bigger picture wh...
  • Rtw can aid recovery
    28 June, 2010
    The best solution for mental ill-health conditions, as described in HR Magazine, is to prevent the...
  • Budget
    23 June, 2010
    In yesterday's budget the Chancellor announced that Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) would rise from 5% ...
  • Long-term absence due to stress
    21 June, 2010
    The vast majority of mental ill-health cases - as mentioned in this article from HR Magazine - can ...
  • Delivering better performance
    8 June, 2010
    This common sense approach reported in HR Magazine  to employing a workforce could be improved by ...
  • CBI - Sickness Absence 2010
    7 June, 2010
    This annual survey reported in HR Magazine is always well received and highlights the ongoing chal...
  • Second opinions
    27 May, 2010
    This article in HR Magazine demonstrates that when decisions need to be made that they are made fr...
  • Mental ill-health in the workplace
    17 May, 2010
    It is excellent that a high profile and successful business individual is supporting Mind's initia...
  • Effects of overtime
    14 May, 2010
    The attached article from Health Insurance & Protection Magazine is a good reminder of how aspects ...
  • Return to work issues
    11 May, 2010
    I doubt that anyone reading this article in HR Magazine would be surprised by these findings. What...
  • Positive health activities
    11 May, 2010
    This article from HR Magazine is an excellent example of what can happen when an employer takes the...
  • Sickness Presence
    26 April, 2010
    Sickness absence is the common title which grabs the headlines but sickness presence is important f...
  • Preventing sickness absence
    23 April, 2010
    This article in HR News makes some interesting points although I do not agree with the low incidenc...
  • Managing Dental Related Sickness Absence
    22 April, 2010
    Regular dental appointments should play a major role in preventing time consuming and costly proble...
  • Non communication of GIP to employees
    22 March, 2010
    GIP, as per the attached article from HR News, is an important tool to be used, with others, to hel...
  • Sick notes to fit notes
    21 March, 2010
    There is only three weeks to go before fit notes replace sick notes.  The attached article from Blo...
  • Absence Policies
    17 March, 2010
    When the law allowing employees who were off sick during annual leave to claim replacement holidays...
  • Gut instinct decisions
    16 February, 2010
    The above article in HR News is chastening - as it says. However it is likely to apply as well to d...
  • Employers' Liability
    11 February, 2010
    There are two points to be made on this article in HR News: The first is that part of the Governme...
  • Vocational Rehabilitation
    9 February, 2010
    This article in the January edition of Cover is a good description of vocational rehabilitation (VR...
  • Tackling Health Issues In The Workplace: Fattism
    8 February, 2010
    Obesity is a very real problem - both when it leads to a lack of performance and a perception that ...
  • Recognising Health Issues at Work
    4 February, 2010
    The attached article from HR News replicates my experience over many years of relevant consultancy....
  • Fit Notes
    2 February, 2010
    Fit notes are back in the news - in this case HR News.  This system will evolve slowly - there are ...
  • Occupational Asthma
    20 January, 2010
    Musculoskeletal and mental ill-health conditions tend to grab the sickness absence headlines.  Howe...
  • Future for long-term sickness benefits?
    18 January, 2010
    There are two issues in this article in HR News - long term benefits such as death in service and g...
  • Time to look beyond PMI
    14 January, 2010
    This article in Corporate Adviser is challenging for those intermediaries who specialise in single ...
  • Employees' Health - Who is Responsible?
    11 January, 2010
    2010 has arrived with effective employment as a major topic for employers and, particularly at a ti...
  • Long term sick - NICE Guidelines
    4 January, 2010
    This article in HR News makes sense and will be what every employer aims to do. The key is for empl...
  • Health or wealth?
    17 December, 2009
    SME owners are sacrificing health for wealth - according to this article in Health Insurance. Plain...
  • GPs and sick notes
    15 December, 2009
    This is a sad article and probably true. Unfortunately it is also true that the NHS is not geared t...
  • London Urgent Care Centre
    1 December, 2009
    London is blessed with a number of high quality private hospitals. One, The Princess Grace, has an ...
  • Sick leave during annual leave
    27 November, 2009
    This article isn't new news! However when someone as eminent as Professor Cary Cooper writes on the...
  • Corporate maternity services
    23 November, 2009
    The attached article from Baby Gurus makes sense. Pregnancies happen and, although a break from wor...
  • Excellent example of employer led health engagement
    27 October, 2009
    The comments from the Chief Executive of Nestle in the HR News article say it all! This initiative,...
  • Cancer in the workplace
    22 October, 2009
    I think this article in HR News describes a very good initiative and is likely to be able to add m...
  • WHO prediction
    19 October, 2009
    This article in Management Today is alarming. The final paragraph is correct and requires employers...
  • Stress at work - a medical condition?
    18 October, 2009
    The attached article describes an everyday conundrum faced by employers. There are various occasion...
  • Dyspraxia
    15 October, 2009
    Dyspraxia and dyslexia are not common articles in corporate circles but the attached article in HR ...
  • MSD and early intervention
    30 September, 2009
    I agree with this HR News article that early intervention is required but the challenge is to be ab...
  • Employers and healthy lifestyles
    24 September, 2009
    This article in HR News makes sense and, in conversations with employers, it is reassuring to hear ...
  • A weighty problem
    23 September, 2009
    I like the tone of this article in HR News.  It is not asking for large sums to be spent but it is ...
  • More money spent on health
    16 September, 2009
    This article in HR News is good news - but hardly surprising bearing in mind the source of the rese...
  • Swine flu - Action by Employers
    7 September, 2009
    Is this article in HR News a 'too difficult to deal with issue' like healthcare in the workplace in...
  • Health and Safety
    27 August, 2009
    Health & Safety is ever present and all employers are bound to comply.  The penalties for non-compl...
  • How HR policies can help an employee
    18 August, 2009
    This is a timely article from HR News.  A good employer will have 'tools' available to help employe...
  • Swine flu - sickness certificates
    6 August, 2009
    One part of the government's pandemic plan is to allow employees to self-certify their swine flu ab...
  • Preventing absences at work
    3 August, 2009
    A survey by Harris Interactive in August's Human Resources Magazine states that 59% of employers ha...
  • H1N1 July Update
    20 July, 2009
    The comments I made in June are still relevant.  However the Swine 'Flu situation is now a pandemic...
  • Counting the cost of presenteeism
    17 July, 2009
    The attached article from Professional Manager states that presenteeism costs employers more than s...
  • The science of wellbeing
    13 July, 2009
    There are two prescient comments from experienced occupational health physicians in the attached ar...
  • Paying for treatment - value to the employer?
    7 July, 2009
    Employers are often reluctant to pay for private medical insurance for all their staff.  However, w...
  • Employee Expectations
    7 July, 2009
    Although the poll size is quite small HR Magazine/Harris have concluded that 84% of employees feel ...
  • The Value of an Employee?
    16 June, 2009
    There are four important values that can be placed on employing staff: The required cost of empl...
  • H1N1 June Update
    1 June, 2009
    It is reported that there is likely to be a pandemic of Swine 'flu - H1N1 - in the autumn.  Dr John...
  • Fit Notes for 2010
    29 May, 2009
    The concept of 'Fit Notes' rather than the traditional sick note was first raised by Dame Carol Bla...
  • Addiction in the Workplace
    28 May, 2009
      It is thought that about 10% of the population of the UK are addicted to alcohol or drugs.  The ...
  • Health Screening
    20 May, 2009
    Health screening, traditionally, is an executive perk. Often it is paid for by employers as a rewar...
  • NICE Guidelines for SAM
    19 May, 2009
    The management of long term sickness is a well known problem for all employers. The National Instit...
  • Swine Flu (H1N1)
    30 April, 2009
    This is the hottest topic of the day and one that should have all employers ensuring they have appr...
  • Dental Insurance
    22 April, 2009
    There was an interesting article in April's Cover Magazine from Pam Whelan of Denplan, part of the ...
  • Rehabilitation
    21 April, 2009
    Rehabilitation, from an employment point of view, can be a dynamic means of reducing absence costs....
  • Mental Health
    21 April, 2009
    Mental health and the consequences from the current economic situation are issues which are never f...
  • Possible Flu Pandemic (H5N1)
    21 April, 2009
    For obvious reasons in these times of bad news more gloomy news is not welcome. However the threat ...
  • Chartered Management Report
    21 April, 2009
    The Chartered Management Institute recently published a report under the banner headline Ten years ...
  • Richard Donkin Article
    1 February, 2009
    In the February 2009 edition of Human Resources there was a very thought provoking article by Richa...