Should employers support employee health beyond simply managing absence? Welfare reform and the sickness absence review have placed employers right in the centre of managing absence. What impact can health benefits have on this, asks Emma Page? Acco  More...
08 October 2012 09:38

Introduced to considerable fanfare last year, fit notes were intended to reduce the number of people on long-term sickness absence and to help employers identify areas where convalescing employees may still be able to contribute at work. They   More...
02 March 2011 16:54

Most of the Equality Act 2010  came into force on 1 October 2010 and employers need to make sure they comply with the  changes to legislation. Warning: This page is no longer updated. It has been   More...
22 September 2010 15:19

The Government yesterday confirmed that the main provisions of the Equality Act 2010 will come into force on 1 October 2010, and has made transitional provisions concerning discriminatory acts occurring before 1 October. On 1 October, the elements o  More...
22 September 2010 13:20

The government has announced that it is considering extending the smoking ban to cover the area outside entrances to workplaces and offices. The Department of Health has pledged in its publication A Smokefree Future: A comprehensive to  More...
02 February 2010 14:38

Two thirds of British adults fail to take enough exercise, and could therefore be putting themselves at greater risk of life threatening illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and stroke. Research by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy found   More...
03 August 2009 14:20

Smokers cost the NHS £5bn a year, employers more than £2bn a year in absence and lost working time, and also tend to take more time off work than their non-smoking counterparts, according to new research. Three separate surveys have highlighted the   More...
24 June 2009 09:08

The NHS spent almost £61m on services to help people stop smoking last year - £10m more than in 2006-07 and almost £36m more than in 2001-02, according to latest figures. It cost the equivalent of £173 for each smoker it helped, with more than 680,00  More...
22 September 2008 10:44

More than half of employees believe overweight employees who smoke are the worst offenders for taking excessive time off work, according to a survey. Research by pension providers Aon Consulting found that 57% of respondents to a poll of 1,300 workin  More...
01 July 2008 09:37

Men are much more reluctant than women to visit their GP about health problems, but it's possible to reach out to them through the workplace, reports Jo Faragher. Next week is Men's Health Week , and the theme for this year's campaign is Men and W  More...
28 May 2008 00:00

Survey results show that the smoking ban has reduced, but not eliminated, the effects of second-hand smoke. Joe Patton reports.   More...
07 May 2008 08:00

Dame Carol Black, author of Working for a Healthier Tomorrow , talks to Noel O'Reilly about what her government - commissioned report means for employers. How could her proposals affect line managers? Should the health of an organisation's workf  More...
11 April 2008 10:02

The very mention of sicknotes and GPs is the equivalent of lighting the blue touch paper and preparing to stand well back for most employers. Jonathan Whittaker, partner at SAS Daniels, looks at whether the proposal of a 'well note' will solve anything.  More...
12 March 2008 10:03

Many uniformed NHS staff flout smoking law Uniformed staff at many NHS hospitals continue to flout the smoking...  More...
11 March 2008 00:00

Eight months into the smoking ban, employers and staff are benefiting from clearing the air and joining stop-smoking programmes. Margaret Kubicek reports. Everyone knows the dangers of smoking, not least smokers themselves. However, quitting, as any  More...
03 March 2008 10:00

Employers have been urged to revisit their smoking policies after more than 1,200 warnings were submitted by smoking inspectors in less than four months after the ban in July last year. New figures released by the government found that smo  More...
11 January 2008 14:40

Helen Kirk argues there should be more OH nurses in the role of nurse executive director in NHS trusts.   More...
07 January 2008 08:00

Snow sports head injuries Serious head injuries among alpine skiers and snowboarders have risen over the past 15 years, according to research in the journal Injury Prevention. The study by doctors at Toronto Western Hospital concluded the rise h  More...
01 January 2008 08:30

The introduction of smoke-free workplaces and public places across Britain has run smoothly, the government has said. In October, three months after the ban in England came into force, people were enjoying a healthier atmosphere in all workplaces in  More...
07 December 2007 00:00

A pub landlord who completely ignored the smoking ban by allowing smokers to light up indoors has vowed to continue his fight for smokers' rights despite being fined for flouting the ban. Hamish Howitt, the owner of Happy Scots Bar on Rigby Roa  More...
06 November 2007 13:19