For Employees
So, have you returned to work yet?
The Governments advice is a little mixed to say the least lifting the order that we should all work at home, if possible, but saying a return to work should be gradual.
But it is still clear that, at the moment, work is beginning to return to the workplace.
For many employees this is a welcome move but for many others it is something which is creating concern and anxiety.
How has working from home been for you over the last 15 months?
Theres no doubt that, for many of us, the chance to work remotely has been one advantage of the lockdown which has blighted the last year or so. Weve been able to juggle work and home life more effectively, cut down on travelling and see more of our family.
But we also know that working from home comes with a number of disadvantages.
It can be difficult to switch off from work, lead to increased isolation, longer hours and increased wellbeing and mental health issues.
There are few things worse than finding yourself in a toxic work culture.
Anybody who has experienced it knows just how draining, exhausting and counterproductive such an environment can be.
The signs that your workplace has fallen victim to such a corrosive culture are not always as obvious as you might think.
Whilst some might be straightforward enough a boss who yells, screams, singles out staff members unfairly and changes their mind at a moments notice others are more nuanced.
If youre self-employed and particularly if you work through a limited company or Personal Services Company you wont need us to tell you that IR35 came into force at the start of this month.
The new arrangements are meant to crack down on contractors and employers exploiting a loophole in the tax rules which make it more efficient to hire a contractor through a limited company.
HMRC thought this was being abused, and contractors who were essentially employees were dodging significant tax liabilities.
Its been the big debate of the last few month: Should jabs for jobs be compulsory.
On the one hand are the group who says nobody should be allowed back into the workplace until they have had their Covid vaccination.
That way, they argue, everyone will be safe and have peace of mind.
On the other side are those who claim making jabs compulsory for all workers is discriminatory, would be impossible to police and could pit staff member against staff member.
We have a strange relationship with technical and vocational qualifications in this country.
Too often we look down our noses at the sort of schemes which produce the skills, training and knowledge we desperately need to make our economy work.
Take apprenticeships for example. How many parents are happy to see their child take up an apprenticeship if they also have the chance to go to university?
Yet there are considerable advantages to an apprenticeship which should make it an attractive option for any youngster.
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