Workplace wellness, can you afford not to invest?

Does your organisation have a workplace wellness program?  With absenteeism costing Australian business over 7 billion dollars every year, keeping employees happy and healthy is becoming a top priority for workplaces across the country.

And it’s not just smoking and obesity that we need to worry about. As the sedentary lifestyle of desk-bound workers reaches epidemic proportions, encouraging employees to get more physically active is now one of the hottest topics on the corporate agenda.

The World Health Organisation now lists physical inactivity as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality causing an estimated 3.2 million deaths globally.  With these type of statistics it’s not hard to see why sitting is considered the new smoking.

Recent medical studies highlight sitting for prolonged periods increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and death. An average 10 million Australians spend 77% of their 8-hour work day sitting at a desk. This level of inactivity is causing serious health concerns for employees.

One business owner who realised the importance of encouraging staff to take time out of their day to be active, is Employment Office Managing Director Tudor Marsden-Huggins. To encourage staff to get away from their desks and get moving, Marsden-Huggins established Tour de Office, a continuous cycling relay that takes place on a stationary bike right in the office.

“We came up with Tour de Office because the statistics of sedentary workers suffering chronic disease from being inactive are truly alarming.  We must promote and create awareness of the importance of a healthy work/life balance,” he said.

“It’s an annual charity event and workplace health initiative which sees staff ride stationary bikes in workplaces to raise funds for their charity of choice.  Now in it’s fifth year, 21 workplaces participated in the event in 2015 and raised over $150,000 for worthy causes.

“Tour de Office is unique because not only does it raise awareness of the importance of getting up off your chair to get moving, it also brings both entry level and executive staff together for a great cause,” Marsden- Huggins said.

According to Dale Tanner, chairman of Australia’s first workplace wellness conference, other organisational offerings like gym memberships and healthy cooking classes are really only scratching the surface. Tanner says companies need to initiate true change in their organisational settings.

“We know that really successful workplace wellness programs have all levels of management on board, signed up and participating,” he said.

So what can you do to promote an active lifestyle for your staff?  To get the most out of your team, management must lead by example. Without spending a cent, leaders can bring running shoes to work and take positive actions such as walking up stairs instead of taking the elevator, or having meetings while walking around the block.

However, if you want to instil long term changes in your organisation it’s necessary to invest in a sustainable workplace wellness program. If you ensure an effective program is an organisational priority this financial year you’ll soon experience the rewards of a happier and healthier workforce.

To find out more about Tour de Office, visit tourdeoffice.com

Top 5 Interviewer Mistakes

In an interview setting we’re often so focused on how the candidate is performing, we don’t stop to consider the mistakes we might make ourselves as recruiters.

There can be serious consequences when employers don’t conduct an interview well, from losing strong candidates to making wrong hires.  Bad interviews can also taint an organisation’s employer brand, or in cases of serious misconduct or discrimination, result in legal action.

A candidate’s interview is such an integral stage of the recruitment process and is where impressions and decisions are made by both the employer and the candidate. Here are the top five mistakes interviewers make.  Now you know what not to do in your next candidate interview.

Top 5 Interviewer Mistakes:

  1. Being unprepared

Hiring managers often assess a candidate’s level of knowledge of the role and organisation in an interview, but it’s important to make sure you also prepare before the meeting.  If an interviewer hasn’t read a candidate’s CV it makes the employer look bad and it makes the candidate feel like just another number, rather than a person. While candidate research may be time consuming, particularly during bulk recruitment periods, understanding your candidate’s work history is essential and will allow you to properly probe into areas of interest.

  1. Saying something discriminatory or that could be perceived as discriminatory

While it’s an obvious point, recruiters should be cautious of saying anything that could be interpreted as discriminatory by a candidate. For instance ‘get-to-know-you’ questions with any reference to age or family situation, while harmless in a social setting, can be detrimental in a professional interview. Questions might later be used against you if an unsuccessful candidate feels any prejudice was at play, so ensure you stick to the facts of the role and the candidate’s relevant skills and experience to avoid ambiguous personal questions.  Stay away from questions about age, race, relationship status, family situation, pregnancy, sexual orientation and religious beliefs.  It’s also a good idea to avoid asking about a candidate’s political beliefs or union memberships.

  1. Interrupting candidates

It’s a faux pas in any conversation setting, but in an interview situation it’s particularly impolite. Candidates will be nervous in an interview and it’s extremely off-putting to be interrupted by the interviewer. If you’re a recruiter frustrated by a chatty candidate and you’re conscious of time constraints, wait until they’ve finished their sentence, say thank you and ask your next question. Perhaps remind the candidate to stay on point, but try not to interrupt.  Interrupting candidates can result in using unnecessary leading questions to hasten the interview process and can provide leading information for the candidate provide the preferred response.  It’s much better they come up with it on their own.

  1. Setting false expectations

As an interviewer you need to be comfortable with a candidate being uncomfortable if they’re not providing satisfactory answers. Being polite by using generic positive verbal cues can set the wrong expectation. For instance, if a candidate responds to a question and you’re not happy with the answer but still reply with ‘great, thanks,’ as you move on to the next question, you’re telling the candidate they are great when really you’re intending it is a passing comment. Ensure you limit your linking sentences to ‘okay, thank-you,’ so you don’t give too much away.

  1. Promising something to the candidate

It is very important to find a balance between showing enthusiasm for a strong candidate and overpromising. No promises should be made to an applicant until all candidates have been interviewed and all hiring managers have been involved in the decision. Recruitment is an ever-changing sphere and until you’re in a place to make an offer of employment be sure to show your receptiveness to the candidate without promising they will progress in the recruitment process.

Blurred lines: Social media and employees, where do you stand?

There are currently more than 14 million active social media users in Australia and with this figure on the rise, so are the instances of an individual’s online indiscretions affecting their professional lives and the reputation of their employer.

Social media dismissal cases are becoming increasingly common. A decision handed down by the Employment Appeals Tribunal in the UK last month upheld the dismissal of a British Waterways Board employee for inappropriate posts on Facebook.

The employee was dismissed for gross misconduct due to unsavoury and derogatory comments he posted on his personal Facebook page. Some comments revealed he had consumed alcohol while on a standby shift.  When on standby, employees of the British Waterways Board are prohibited from drinking alcohol.  The employee also made disparaging remarks on Facebook about his workplace and supervisors.

So, closer to home, what can we learn from this case and how does social media affect Australian organisations as employers?

Earlier this year, Australian logistics company Linfox was ordered to restore pay to an employee, whom it had sacked for making inappropriate comments about managers on Facebook. It was found the dismissal was harsh and unreasonable because the employer had not communicated its social media expectations to the worker.

Implementing a social media policy for employees is one tool to not only prevent unwanted social media posts from employees, but also to impose professional penalties when a worker acts outside of the communicated guidelines.

Further to communicating with employees it may be considered to ask employees to sign a social media policy agreement upon commencement with an organisation to minimise the risk of your company being misrepresented online.

Organisations may also consider training staff in the use of social media etiquette. Explaining the differences between private and public online comments and personal and professional social media expectations can prevent Facebook faux pas for both the individual and employer.

Managing Director of recruitment marketing specialists Employment Office, Tudor Marsden-Huggins, says the lines are becoming increasingly blurred between online and offline worlds and organisations must take action to ensure employees represent their company appropriately in all circumstances.

“Employers need to keep a handle on their image across all mediums, including social media.  Disparaging remarks about an organisation, particularly when they come from an employee can be incredibly damaging for a brand,” he said.

“We’re now in a landscape where employees are part of a very tech-savvy generation and are engaging with peers on multiple online platforms.  Employers need to be on the front foot and have clear policies in place to make employees think before they post.

“Each workplace must be considered on a case by case basis, but the key is education.  If employees are forewarned and educated about what is expected of them, the risks will be mitigated significantly,” Marsden-Huggins said.