It’s said that happy and healthy employees tend to be more motivated at work, but with little sunlight and credit card bills few of us feel cheerful and motivated!
So, how can you encourage positivity and productivity at work?
A healthy working environment
Start with your working environment. We’re not talking about group Yoga classes during your lunch break, just small changes to energise the team and help you all make healthier choices.
Engaging your team
Engaging your team is essential to bringing out the best in them. Convince them that there are opportunities to progress at work, and you’ll motivate them to work hard for you.
Reward hard work
Everyone needs to feel valued. Remember to thank the staff who go the extra mile to get the job done well. After all, if an employee doesn’t feel appreciated they’ll find employment elsewhere – and you don’t want to lose your best team members.
On the other hand, employees who are happy at work will recommend the company to friends and family. Don’t underestimate their power to influence potential future recruits! Your reputation as an employer is hugely important to your company’s success.
Occasionally treating your team to lunch or a fun evening out is another great way of reminding them that their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. And this brings us to our next, and final point…
Spending time out of the office/off-site as a team is a great way to improve relationships and get to know each other’s true personalities.
To encourage this, create a social calendar of activities which appeals to everyone. It doesn’t need to be expensive. Bowling, mini golf or team-building games are all great options, but going to the pub after work doesn’t count!
We hope you feel inspired to make some positive changes. Remember your team are your most valuable asset. Taking care of their wellbeing will mean you’ll reap the rewards further down the line.
Contact us for further advice on wellbeing.
Do you know the difference between a safety data sheet and a COSSH assessment, and why both are necessary to assess the risks involved when working with a hazardous substance.
SDS stands for Safety data sheets. They provide information on chemical products that help users of those chemicals to make a risk assessment. They describe the hazards the chemical presents and give information on handling, storage and emergency measures in case of an accident.
Many people may still be familiar with Material Data sheets or MSDS. The old MSDSs could follow any number of different formats, and could include different kinds of information with different levels of detail. The SDS format is much stricter, it is made up of sixteen sections, and each section includes specific information using a standardized classification method.
Many of our client companies are involved in running outdoor events, so in case you are hosting a barbecue, sports day or village fair, we thought we would share our top ten tips for keeping your events safe.
Start health and safety planning early
Make sure that you carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for your event. This will allow you to identify the control measures and safety plans that need to be implemented.
Visit the site beforehand
Even if you are familiar with your event site, a visit is essential in order to be able to compile a comprehensive risk assessment. Look at factors such as ground conditions, availability of services, traffic and pedestrian routes, access points, proximity of site to emergency services and don’t forget to find out who the neighbours are!
Know what you are going to do in the event of an emergency
An emergency plan should be in place. This should deal with the procedures that will be put into action should there be a fire, explosion, extreme weather conditions, flood, crowd problems and accidents.
Make sure that your staff know who to report to and how
All staff and volunteers involved in organising the event should be aware of the contents of the risk assessment and emergency plans. Everyone should receive a pre-event induction.
Keep vehicles away from people
The easiest way to avoid accidents with vehicles is to segregate them from pedestrians. Make sure that vehicle movements are limited once the event is underway. If you are providing car parking, then think about having car park attendants to manage car movements.
Decide what to do with the kids
Even if your event is not directly aimed at children, unless it is strictly over eighteens only, chances are, some parents will bring kids along. Consider all age ranges from babies up to teenagers, so everything from managing safety in play areas, reuniting lost children with parents to how to prevent teenagers from being served alcohol must be accounted for.
Ensure that food and drink complies with food safety legislation
The food safety rules are the same whether you are running an outdoor event or a normal kitchen. When an Environmental Health Officer inspects your site, they would expect to see all the normal controls in place, which you would have documented in your Food Safety Management System. You need to pay particular attention to hand washing facilities, waste, pest control, temperature control, covered storage and cleaning facilities.
Don’t let your event drown in rubbish
All waste producers have a duty of care under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to ensure that waste is disposed of responsibly to a site with a waste management license. Produce a waste management plan as part of your event planning.
Make sure the conveniences are not inconvenient!
Follow HSE guidelines for the number of conveniences required. Don’t forget to provide amenities for people with special needs and depending upon the demographic of your crowd, baby changing facilities may also be required. Consider how facilities are going to be emptied and cleaned if your event is over a number of days.
Consider the requirements of people with special needs
You want everyone to enjoy your event, so think how you can accommodate people with mobility problems, impaired hearing or sight and those who have difficulty walking. Brief the event stewards to provide assistance where necessary, including during possible evacuation scenarios.
Now we are all safely prepared for summer, it’s time to break out the shorts and sunglasses!
Contact us for further advice!
