NEWS
Panel – ( left to right ) Sedgefield MP Paul Howell was joined by Ebac chairman John Elliott , Hitachi Rail Europe chief operating officer-manufacturing Ross Nagle and Excelpoint managing director Ian Brown , as well as Gestamp Tallent plant director Jonathan Phillips ( not pictured ), for Aycliffe Business Park Community ’ s first meeting of 2021 .
ADVICE
GREAT MINDS
Mental health at forefront of high-profile business discussion
Mental health was at the forefront of
a high-profile business discussion during Aycliffe Business Park
Community ’ s first meeting of 2021 .
Representatives from three of Aycliffe Business Park ’ s biggest employers were joined by our local MP for the online event in January , organised by Business Durham ’ s John Parnell .
Aycliffe Business Park Community ( ABPC ), which is made up of volunteer representatives from the business park , hosted three online events in 2020 after the Covid pandemic scuppered its ‘ normal ’ event calendar .
But the group aims to continue hosting events , with more than 50 business delegates attending the latest Zoom gathering .
Paul Howell , the Conservative MP for Sedgefield , was joined by Ebac chairman John Elliott , Hitachi Rail Europe chief operating officer-manufacturing Ross Nagle , Excelpoint managing director Ian Brown and Gestamp Tallent plant director Jonathan Phillips for the virtual meeting .
They discussed Covid and Brexit among other things during the hour-long Q & A , hosted by Aycliffe Business editor Martin Walker .
And mental health was one of the subjects high on the agenda . “ It ’ s absolutely critical ,” said Ross Nagle . “ We have mental health workers , initiatives on mental health and wellbeing , a system of contact set up including regular routine opportunities to engage , and we look for changes in individuals .
“ There ’ s also the need to be aware that people ’ s circumstances are continually changing , especially those with children , and we have tried to be flexible to accommodate that .” Ian Brown said : “ I think the more mature workers are coping better . Younger people are going a bit stir crazy , because they ’ re so used to going out .
“ But home workers with children are finding it very challenging . We try to support in every way we can , and we ’ re also big supporters of the mental health charity , If You Care Share , which does some fantastic work in the region .”
On the same subject , MP Paul Howell said : “ It ’ s something you can never have enough time to put into .
“ I have five staff working in my team , I have to meet them through a screen , and they all have different challenges they ’ re trying to cope with .
“ The more experienced maybe are more resilient . You just need to be careful and give people space .”
John Elliott said : “ It is very important , but we ’ ve seen no negatives . When times are tough , you don ’ t have time to be depressed .
“ We ’ ve got to deal with it – negative experience can make you a better person .”
The Covid challenges of the last year were also discussed during the meeting , as well as the challenges and opportunities from leaving the EU .
And all of the business leaders also brought some positive news to the table , with Excelpoint continuing its growth with new recruitment , Hitachi investing £ 10m in new facilities and Gestamp launching three major new products this year .
For information on future Aycliffe Business Park events and how to register , email hello @ aycliffebusinesspark . co . uk or visit aycliffebusinesspark . co . uk .
WFH : WORKING FROM HOME
While government advice to work from home is likely to continue until at least Easter , Ben Healey from Greystone Legal answers some frequent questions regarding employees WFH .
Do my employees have to WFH ? Employees should only attend their workplace when they cannot reasonably work from home . Employers should take “ every possible step ” to facilitate their employees working from home , including providing suitable IT and equipment to enable remote working . Can I make it compulsory for employees to WFH ? Some employment contracts have a term requiring an employee to work from home in certain circumstances . It may be argued that requiring employees to work from home is within the scope of a reasonable management instruction , particularly if any additional costs are borne by the employer . Imposing home working arguably constitutes a variation of the contract requiring employee consent and so it is always best to get the employee ’ s agreement in writing . Do I need to carry out a health and safety risk assessment ? Yes . An employer is responsible for an employee ’ s welfare , health and safety , “ so far as is reasonably practicable ”. Employers must conduct a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of all the work activities carried out by their employees to identify hazards and assess the degree of risk , even when WFH . How can I manage productivity ? If an employee ’ s productivity begins to decline , it is a good idea to try and address the issue before it becomes a serious problem . Employers should be clear about their working hours , especially any core hours when they should be at work . Employers should also detail what their expectations are of any employee and how their productivity will be measured .
A well-drafted Homeworking Policy will help protect the employer ’ s position and ensure that the employer maintains their employee ’ s productivity . Ben Healey Partner , Greystone Legal
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 9