How to Address Inactive Lifestyles to Improve Employee Wellbeing

How to Address Inactive Lifestyles to Improve Employee Wellbeing Physical inactivity is estimated to cost the UK £7.4 billion a year and combined with growing sedentary lifestyles; this is causing severe health issues in the workplace. This is down to a combination of factors such as an increase in long-term health conditions, greater dependency on nursing care and drops in productivity often influenced by stress or employee burn-out. Nuffield Health recently published A Healthier Workplace, a white paper commissioned by Sport England, discussing the priority areas employees should address to protect their highly-valued staff. Here are some of the most effective strategies, based on the report’s findings, to reduce physical inactivity and get employees moving. Understanding the terms With more than 20 million Brits classed as ‘physically inactive’, the risk of health issues such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer is rising. However, our research found businesses have a limited understanding of the differences between and sedentary and inactive lifestyles, making it difficult for them to devise effective strategies for employee support. Physical inactivity is similar to but not the same as sedentary behavior. A sedentary lifestyle is where an individual does not receive regular amounts of physical activity. So, if you sit behind a desk Monday to Friday, but do occasionally go to the gym or are more active on weekends, then chances are you fall into this category. Research has shown it is possible to lead a sedentary life, but still meet physical activity guidance. You can do this by building up active hours to form a better health profile and reverse the negative effects sedentary behavior has on the body. The issue is it’s difficult to accomplish this successfully unless an individual commits to upping activity levels around their working day or during weekends. Deciding the best approach A significant part of our research focused on under-represented factions, including lower socioeconomic groups and those with lower levels of educational achievement. This is because they are normally less likely to meet physical activity guidelines. One of our first discoveries from available literature was much of it contains a distinct lack of substantial evidence for businesses to form robust investment cases. Secondly, we noticed different employee demographics respond better to some methods than others, but the most effective techniques to increase physical activity were found to be a combination of workspace supervised exercise classes and group support. These practices are more efficient because they introduce a social element to exercise. Forming bonds with relatable individuals provides many people with extra motivation to reach group health goals. When it came to minimizing sedentary behavior, the best outcomes arose when interventions focused on addressing a key culprit; the office desk. By experimenting with active desks and activity prompts, it was noticed employees responded to these gentle nudges positively and increased their physical movements. They also enjoyed the flexibility of being able to work standing up or sitting down when they wanted. Taking the lead There is a common misconception for change to occur; leaders must be vocal and bold, giving emotive, sensationalized speeches to inspire new actions. However, this will not always realize desired results. Physical activity needs to be engrained in workplace culture from the top-down. There is no substitute for the C-suite rolling up its sleeves and getting personally involved. Serving as a role model can be particularly useful for wellness-related programs, but the process needs to be top of every manager’s priorities to develop a culture which is then championed by trail-blazers on the ground. A good starting point is to keep conversations around healthy lifestyles positive, focusing on the benefits increased physical activity can bring, like improving energy, job performance, and emotional resilience both at work and in their personal lives. However, employers need to approach personal issues sensitively, so employees don’t feel like their own choices or actions are being criticized. The benefits of an active workforce are clear, and so too are the risks associated with physical inactivity and sedentary behavior. By incorporating a range of multi-component wellness offerings into today’s workplace, organizations and employees have nothing to lose, but everything to gain. About the author:  Dr Davina Deniszczyc is the Charity Director and Primary Care Medical Director at  Nuffield Health.

6 Answers To How Would Your Coworkers Describe You - Algrim.co

6 Answers To How Would Your Coworkers Describe You - Algrim.co

4 Trends Seeking to Address Cultural Diversity in the Workplace

4 Trends Seeking to Address Cultural Diversity in the Workplace In a nation that is built on a history of assimilating many cultures into one geographic location, it has been extremely difficult to embrace a national identity, yet as Americans that’s just what we’ve done. Unfortunately, that ‘identity’ is somewhat skewed depending on what area of the nation you hail from and with staggering numbers of recent immigrants from third world and war-torn countries, it is becoming increasingly difficult to address such widespread diversity in the workplace. In one small office consisting of perhaps 10 people, it is not uncommon for greater than 50% to be foreign nationals. So then, as a nation, what are we doing to address cultural diversity in the workplace and is there a way to allow for each culture to maintain its identity while being assimilated into the American way of life? Perhaps there is, but first it is important to look at some trends that are seeking to address these very issues. 1) Looking at Stereotypes that Lead to Prejudice One of the biggest trends at the moment is happening not only within society but also within some of the nation’s largest corporations. There are laws against discrimination and penalties can be huge if a company is found discriminating based on breaking equal employment laws, including: Race Sex Ethnicity Nationality Disability Mental condition Sexual orientation Gender Gender identity or expression thereof Religious creed Political orientation And the list could go on from there a bit with layers of understanding as to what each of those ‘classifications’ means according to law, not the interpretation of the words. Government and large corporations are spending time and money looking at stereotypes that lead to discrimination in each of the above categories and if found in violation, consequences can be severe. 2) Addressing the Growing Numbers of Women in the Workforce As a woman, you might not realize just how far this nation has come in the inclusion of women in the workforce. While laws have changed, there is still something in human nature that wants to refer to women as the ‘weaker sex’ and biologically unable to do many of the same jobs as men can do. This may be the case some of the time, but for the most part, many women can lift weights equally if they have been trained and can do much of the same labor as men. Yes, it is true that most men are stronger than women, but with physical training, women can do so much more than they had ever realized was possible and this is something that many corporations are looking at when deciding whether or not a woman is physically qualified to do a job or if it is a discriminatory act in refusing to interview or hire them. 3) Corporations Seeking to Accept Workers with Disabilities Within the broad scope of cultural diversity falls the category of workers with disabilities. Where so many people go astray is in thinking that cultural diversity only applies to those of a different culture. That would be cross-cultural diversity or multi-cultural diversity. Within a culture are some people without disabilities and some with physical limitations/disabilities and these are the people who may be subject to discrimination. When preparing leaders within the educational arena, a huge emphasis is being placed on looking at those with disabilities as simply being part of our diverse culture â€" they have something to offer which is simply diverse, as the definition implies. Online master’s programs like the one offered at https://gsehd.gwu.edu/programs/masters-special-education-culturally-and-linguistically-diverse-learners are seeking to look at trends in cultural diversity within our own culture through the inclusion of disabled workers who are highly qualified yet often overlooked. 4) Large Corporations Set the Stage for Diversity / Sensitivity Training One final trend that is significant in these politically charged times is a trend for corporations to offer seminars and ongoing sensitivity training. Recognizing that we live in a nation more diverse than anywhere on earth, it is important to be inclusionary in our hiring practices. In keeping with the list of anti-discrimination categories listed above, it is important to learn to be sensitive to those who are different from ourselves in some way. Oddly, what most of us don’t realize is that we are all diverse. There are no two people exactly alike and so it would seem that it should be easy to address cultural diversity in the workplace. Unfortunately, it is not as cut and dry as it should be so efforts continue to define what it means to be culturally diverse and then to promote sensitivity which leads to stronger and better relations. . Image credit: Diversity

How do I Research my Career 5 suggestions (clue dont start with Google!)

How do I Research my Career 5 suggestions (clue don’t start with Google!) If you’re feeling bored, you could try walking into your careers service and asking ‘Got any information about jobs?’  See what response you get if you can’t be any more specific. But occasionally students confess that they have done pretty much the same thing on-line, starting their career investigations by typing ‘jobs’ into Google. Google doesn’t know anything if you have such an unclear idea of what you’re looking for, Google can’t help very much. If you are struggling to focus your career planning or job search, think about which of the following five suggestions you could most usefully focus on. 1) Know yourself What are you good at? What do you value? In what sort of circumstances do you feel most true to yourself? What do you want out of a job? What do the people who know you best say about what you’re good at, and what really motivates you? (Have you asked them?) If these are difficult questions to answer, there are some starting points at  developing your self-awareness 2) Know what’s out there The  Prospects and Target Jobs  websites go way beyond vacancy listings (though they have those too). They also have descriptions of most graduate job titles, with key information such as what skills and qualifications you need, what hours you will be expected to work and how you much you are likely to be paid. University careers websites are excellent sources of information too â€" the University of Warwick one is at Careers and Skills and there are overviews of most of the job sectors of interest to Warwick students at Finding work 3) Get experience Gaining an internship or similar experience is the best way of testing your career ideas. You may fall on your feet and find that the internship enables you to go on to a similar, permanent role with the same organisation. But even if after doing an internship role for a few weeks you decide it’s not for you, it is extremely likely that the experience will have enabled you to develop and demonstrate skills which will look positive in any application. You’ll probably have got to know yourself better too. The graduate vacancy websites also advertise internships â€" but not all areas of work where internships are available need to advertise them, so talk to a careers consultant if you are not finding adverts for the kinds of jobs in which you are interested. 4) Talk to real people University careers consultants are professionally trained and qualified, which means that they can help you to get started in your thinking, or put your thoughts in order. They may suggest places to look for more information, depending on what you need. Once you’ve got an idea of where your interests lie, there’s no substitute for talking to people doing the job. Larger employers, and some smaller ones, visit university campuses regularly and give an opportunity to talk to people â€" often alumni â€" already doing the job you’re interested in. Social media, (particularly LinkedIn), has made it easier than ever to make contact with individuals who do the kind of jobs you want to do or work in the kinds of organisations for which you would like to work. Most universities have opportunities to get in touch with alumni to ask them about what they do â€" as well as regular events when alumni come onto campus. Warwick students can sign up to talk to alumni volunteers at E-mentoring 5) Find out as much as you can about any employer you are planning to apply for. Company websites are an excellent starting point of course, but you will only get to know what the organisation wants you to know. Dig a bit deeper: what do professionals think of the organisation? How do competitors or similar organisations view it? What do the organisation’s critics (if there are any) say and how convincing are they? Having answers to questions such as these will not only help you to decide whether you really want to work for the organisation, they will also give you more to talk about at an interview. There are further suggestions of places to look at Warwicks Careers and Skills website  Employer research Of course if you have enough experience and contacts to understand what you are looking for in work and what kind of roles will suit you, then Google can become an excellent tool for finding further information!

Using Resume Bullets for Contract Writing and Propositions

Using Resume Bullets for Contract Writing and PropositionsWhen it comes to writing resumes for contract writing and proposals, your resume should be focused on the job. To do this, you have to include all of the things you can about the position that you're applying for. There are some ways you can use in order to emphasize the points that you want to make during the hiring process. Keep reading to learn how to use resume bullets to help you out when writing resumes for contract writing and proposals.The first thing that you have to do is define the job you're applying for. This will include different job titles that you're applying for. These titles include; assistant, receptionist, and administrative assistant. With these different titles, you have to come up with a description that includes all of the things you can tell about the job. This will include, salary range, responsibilities, as well as other areas that you should discuss during the employment interview.The next thing th at you should do is explain why you're applying for the job. In order to explain this part of the resume, you should use bullet points that will explain what specific things you can show potential employers about yourself. You'll want to use bullets that will highlight your achievements and skills that you can provide to the employer.After that, you can also include some information about why you're interested in the job. This is where you will need to break down your objectives in writing the resume. It's important to explain to the employer what you want to achieve during the employment process. It's important to highlight the specific things that you can bring to the table during the hiring process.Last, you should also use bullet points that will include your professional experience. By including this information, you will be able to give your employer an idea of how many yearsof experience you have in the industry. This is a good idea because employers will be able to see that you are a capable and experienced person who can be trusted.Bullets are important when it comes to writing resumes for contract writing and proposals. One of the benefits of using bullets is that they will help you to highlight the things that you want to get across to the employer. These are some of the benefits that you can get when you use this format when writing resumes for contract writing and proposals. In addition, these bullets will help you to create a professional looking resume that you can easily write. Once you have the resume written, you can follow the steps below to use it.Once you have completed writing the resume, you will need to look at the examples that you have used. You should look at those examples and see if there are any pieces that you can add into your resume. Sometimes, bullet points will be limited when it comes to these examples, so you will need to be creative in how you use them.After you have finished using the bullet points, you will then need to add them into the other sections of the resume. Make sure that you don't forget to change the date that you wrote the bullet points into the last page of the resume. By following these tips, you will be able to write a resume that is professional looking and unique. You will be able to have a resume that will land you the job you're trying to get.

The Job Seeker Experience

The Job Seeker Experience For all the job seekers out there that are spending a lot of time applying to companies through their corporate websites, read Gerry Crispins post, Buying Fertilizer is Like Applying to Your Company. Gerrys thought provoking and humorous post discusses the abysmal statistics surrounding quality response rates to job seekers who apply on-line through company websites. While 67-75% of companies respond to candidates, only 6% of the nations top companies communicate the status of an applicants candidacy or offer any follow up if the position is no longer open. With statistics like these, its no wonder that candidates experience frustration with the on-line posting process. Yet for many theres something mezmorizing, almost addictive about the on-line job search process. It reminds me of the endless TV channel surfer who can access 300 channels, but still cant find anything worth watching. There are an incredible number of jobs posted on-line, but few are realistic opportunities given the number of candidates you are competing against and the overall flaws of the on-line posting process. While theres nothing inherently wrong with looking at job boards (they can provide valuable insights into position responsibilities and salary ranges and help you track growth trends within a company or industry), the boards only offer a passive method of search and one that can rob you of valuable search time that would be better spent trying to penetrate new contacts through direct marketing and networking activities.

Why is my résumé writer giving me homework - Sterling Career Concepts

Why is my résumé writer giving me homework Why is my résumé writer giving me homework? It’s natural to stumble through the beginning steps of developing your new résumé as you hash out the specifics of your job target, the type of job to which you’re best suited, what you want and what you don’t want, which specific industries or locations. An astute professional résumé writer will ask you some pointed questions at the start of the process, and it’s very common for clients to get stumped, stymied, or tongue-tied. That’s okay. It’s part of the process! We’ve seen it a hundred times before. As the process progresses and you refine your job search target and list of target companies or markets, you will begin to develop a sense of control and order of your job search. If conducted thoroughly and effectively, the process of developing a new résumé usually has several positive side effects: 1. You fine-tune your career action plan for a targeted job search. 2. Your writer will most likely ask you to frame information into a series of C.A.R. stories (Challenge, Action, and Result) (JobSeekers How to Tell Stories to Stand Out) that highlight your accomplishments and strengths such as leadership, teambuilding, corporate strategies, or organizational development. This format is extremely helpful to your writer when developing résumé content, and for you when developing answers to commonly asked interview questions. 3. Once you have developed these C.A.R. stories, you will have well-developed accomplishment-based statements in your pocket for possible connections or opportunities and to present yourself as a solution to a problem. So while your professional résumé writer may give you quite a bit of homework up front, and you may not sound like the smoothest or most pulled-together professional in some of your early conversations with him/her, it is understandable and quite common. You will be pleased at how the final results pull together and how prepared you’ll be to dive in to your job search! Be ready for the onslaught of job opportunities that are forecasted for the first part of 2012. December is the perfect month to review your résumé and consider an update. Want to get started today? We’re here to help.