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PRO NEWS
Fun bumps up productivity
The majority of UK businesses fail to effectively monitor productivity , according to a new survey .
NOVEMBER 2016 PRO INSTALLER
www . proinstaller . co . uk
The last FIM Expo was at the RAF Museum , Cosford , near Birmingham .
The study , from HR software and employment law advice company , BrightHR , reveals only eight per cent of companies regularly monitor productivity metrics , while less than a quarter ( 22 per cent ) believe it is something that needs to be monitored more closely . More than a quarter of businesses ( 28 per cent ) believe that fun and play in the workplace reduce productivity more than administration tasks ( 24 per cent ), absenteeism / sick leave ( 16 per cent ), staff training ( 14 per cent ) and lateness ( eight per cent ). Author and productivity expert Graham Allcott , who compiled the ‘ It Pays to Play : Play and Productivity ’ report with BrightHR , said : “ We live in an age where , in theory , productivity should be booming , but in the UK at least , it ’ s been flat-lining for a decade . Technology affords us so many exciting ways to improve productivity , whether it ’ s through software to automate or make tasks easier , the ability to work flexibly from home , or the opportunities provided by the information age and global connectedness . But there is also a downside , which many businesses just don ’ t see or mitigate . “ Many workers feel like the boundaries between work and life are blurring , that they ’ re required to check email constantly no matter what time of day or night , or that they ’ re being monitored and micro-managed . So creating a culture of trust , where people can feel engaged to have fun at work and participate in constantly improving productivity has never been more vital .”
BrightHR ’ s research highlights the positive impact workplace fun has on staff morale , creativity and productivity . Their research shows 62 per cent of employees who had no sick days in the last three months experienced some form of fun in the workplace . The research also found 58 per cent of people who hadn ’ t experienced workplace fun had been off sick 11 or more days , compared to 42 per cent of those who had experienced workplace fun .
‘ reduce the low-value tasks to make the space for what really matters ’
“ Culture doesn ’ t just happen ,” continues Allcott . “ It needs nurturing , and business leaders need to do everything possible to reduce distractions and think more creatively about how to reduce the low-value tasks to make the space for what really matters .” But the majority of business owners surveyed take a simplistic view of employee engagement and its relation to productivity , with almost two-thirds ( 63 per cent ) believing that the top attribute of an engaged employee is being fully committed to achieving results . Paul Tooth , co-founder and chief executive officer of BrightHR , said : “ It ’ s alarming to find that so many British businesses simply don ’ t measure productivity , and more than this , they are in the dark about the real business benefits of it .”
www . brighthr . com
UNION HITS OUT AT FIRE PREVENTION CUTS
The Fire Brigades Union has warned about the dangers of cuts to the fire service , following a new report from the Home Office revealing the amount of fire safety work has dropped over the last five years . The Home Office ’ s ‘ Fire Operational Statistics Bulletin ’ showed :
• The number of home fire risk checks and fire safety audits have dropped by a quarter in five years .
• Fire and rescue services are spending less time on public safety campaigns and initiatives .
• 10 % ( 4,300 ) of staff have left the fire and rescue service in the past year .
PIGS FLYING HIGH
The People in Glazing Society ( PIGS ) Birmingham event saw the highest attendance for the glazing network , just ahead of its first international PIGS at GlassBuild America in Las Vegas in October . PIGS organiser Sarah Ball from Balls2 Marketing said : “ The glazing industry has been in good health over the past two years . It ’ s great that PIGS has become an essential part of the calendar – companies from across the supply chain recognise it ’ s the perfect chance to get out and
• The average age of a firefighter has increased to 41 as the number of young firefighters is slashed by 40 %. The union has also warned of a ‘ generational time bomb ’ as the number of young firefighters aged between 16-24 has dropped by 40 % in the past five years reflecting a lack of recruitment . The average age of a firefighter is now 41 . Andy Dark , FBU assistant general secretary , said : “ We are deeply concerned about the impact of job cuts on the public ’ s fire and rescue service . “ The government ’ s data shows that fire services are now cutting back even further on fire prevention work because the workforce has been stripped . Fire services are struggling to cope with the current workload . “ The government have prioritised balancing the books over all else , including public safety . These figures paint a damning picture of today ’ s fire and rescue service , which is simply not safe in the hands of this government . “ Resources continue to be slashed , it ’ s taking longer to get to fires and more people are dying as a result .” In October , the latest FIM Expo - organised by the Fire Industry Association ( FIA ) – took place at the RAF Museum , Cosford , near Birmingham .
about to catch up on the latest news in glass and glazing .
It featured many of the UK ’ s leading fire detection and alarm manufacturers and focused on showcasing the latest products and developments in this sector of the industry . FIM Expo is for anyone working in this area , whether as an installer or maintainer of fire detection and alarm systems , a manager of such systems in commercial premises or as an architect or person specifying what type of fire protection systems should be installed in a building .
www . fia . uk . com
“ At the heart of PIGS ’ success is the generosity of our sponsors bringing home the bacon . All of the money goes behind the bar to get the party started and it ’ s become something of a tradition to guess at what time the kitty runs dry . “ For Birmingham , we actually ran a sweepstake . Iain Britton from Edgetech UK was the winner of a pack of Percy Pigs for being nearest to the time , 7:45pm .”