Prosper Autumn 2023 Yumpu_compressed

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BUSINESS VOICE: DEMENTIA IN THE WORKPLACE Dementia in the workplace: it’s an increasing concern The word dementia conjures up vivid images in the minds of many – likely to be of elderly people, perhaps those in care homes. Certainly not those who are still going out to work each day. And yet that’s an increasing likelihood, says Paycare CEO Anthony Burns, in a world where not only are diagnoses of dementia increasing, but the number of people working past retirement age is on the rise. It’s estimated 9% of over 65s currently have dementia, and more than 1 million will be living with the condition before the end of the decade. For workers over 65, that figure is around 12%. That means in the Black Country, we have around 19,700 people with dementia, and around 26,000 older workers. Which brings us back to the likelihood that we’ll see more people who start experiencing the first symptoms of dementia – including Alzheimer’s, vascular and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) – before they retire. And that means it’s something that employers need to be aware of, because colleagues and team managers who work closely with the person on a day-to-day basis are so well placed to notice the first signs. And with a degenerative disease such as dementia, early diagnosis is extremely helpful. With slightly different symptoms for each of the types, it’s important to have a thorough overview of what the early symptoms of dementia may look like, depending whether the person has Alzheimer’s (thinking and reasoning problems, changes in mood, and changes to how they see and hear things), vascular (difficulties following a set of instructions, short periods of sudden confusion, problems making decisions) or DLB (thinking, movement and mood), for example. And it’s also important to be aware that dementia doesn’t only affect over 65s (although the chance of being diagnosed doubles roughly every five years post that age); there’s also early-onset or young-onset, which could first present itself with symptoms such as struggling to judge distances, problems finding the right word or behaving in socially-inappropriate ways. For employers concerned about the holistic health of their team members, it’s clear why having an awareness of dementia is increasingly vital. But there’s also another reason why attention on the subject is crucial. Of those one million people expected to be living with dementia by 2030, most will have children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, neighbours or friends who may take on a caring role for them and who are also likely to experience the “It’s estimated 9% of over 65s currently have dementia ... for workers over 65, that figure stands around 12%. That means in the Black Country, we have around 19,700 people with dementia and around 26,000 older workers...” emotional repercussions of watching a loved one experience a degenerative disease. That means a significant proportion of employees are likely to know someone who has dementia, and may need extra understanding (and flexible working solutions) while they navigate juggling their working life with the additional responsibilities they may be taking on. This could be involvement in day–to-day care as the person becomes unable to dress, feed or wash themselves, it could involve supporting with medical needs such as attending appointments, and it could also involve taking on the role of Lasting Power of Attorney to deal with decisions relating to health and/or finances once the person is deemed unable to do so themselves. Whatever ways that person’s life is affected by knowing someone with dementia, having an empathetic employer is going to make a huge difference: no one needs the stress of also being worried that their job may be at risk, or that they can’t disclose what’s going on because they’re expected to leave their personal life at the door. As well as cultivating a working culture that sees employees feel able to broach the subject and speak up if they need support – either because of concerns around their own health or because they’re caring for someone with dementia – there are also many practicalities which can be implemented to make life a little easier. Whether it’s support from a confidential telephone counselling line, the ability to work flexible hours or from different locations (where appropriate), or services which enable them to speedily access an effective range of healthcare – there are many ways having a robust Workplace Wellbeing strategy is going to make all the difference in their time of need. Sadly, dementia and the workplace are no longer two separate entities – and increasing numbers of people who have dementia or care for someone who does, while also working, means it needs to move higher up the agenda of employers who aren’t already dementia-savvy. Anthony Burns, CEO, Paycare 46 PROSPER AUTUMN 2023
LEGAL UPDATE Working policies: time to think again flexibly as men; clearly then, flexible working done well is an opportunity to grow and to develop talent pools and to increase accessibility in the workplace. “But if companies aren’t tracking the success or the impact of flexible/ hybrid working then they are operating in total limbo. This is an opportunity to develop a workplace of the future – which is being wasted according to this new data.” 42% of managers don’t know their company’s flexible working policy. Do you? 42% of HR managers are not tracking their flexible or hybrid working policies, according to new research. Now, before you gasp too much in shock, here’s a question: What’s your company’s flexible working policy? The research by campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed surveyed 260 HR managers and found that 41.8% of HR managers do not monitor the impact of a flexible working/ hybrid policy at all. And just 40% of HR managers said that they have had training for supporting teams in a hybrid working world. The Flexible Working Bill received Royal Assent in June 2023. Its official description reads: ‘A Bill to make provision in relation to the right of employees and other workers to request variations to particular terms and conditions of employment, including working hours, times and locations.’ Joeli Brearley, CEO and founder of Pregnant Then Screwed said: “A lack of flexible working is bad for business and bad for inclusivity. “Time and time again, research has shown that flexible working has many benefits, but if employers don’t track it then they can’t make impactful and data-driven decisions about where and when their employees work, and they are more likely to revert to less impactful conventional ways of working. “We need to start taking flexible working seriously.’’ Alison Wilde, co-founder of people transformation consultancy Birdsoup added that there is a risk of losing staff if companies don’t begin to get with the flexible working and hybrid programme. “If companies don’t want to lose valued people, then they need to put in a well thought-out suite of interventions designed to retain and grow them,” she said. “Women are twice as likely to work Three simple steps to understanding your company’s policy are: Get yourself informed First things first: if you don’t know what your company’s stance on this is, and what policy is in place, it’s time to find out. Or be the person who begins to introduce it in your company. Research the bill, find out what your company already offers. This affects you, as well, after all, as you might want flexible or hybrid working. Define flexible vs hybrid These are two different things. Just like your company has ‘values’, define what ‘flexible’ and ‘hybrid’ means for your company. This might involve a lot of research, and setting new values and standards to working practices. Flexible could just be the hours people work, while hybrid could be the place(s) they work. In theory, you could have someone working a flexible, hybrid working pattern. Be the one to drive the change No policy? Then it’s time to seriously think about what you offer and how that needs to change. It’s not enough to be in that 42%, and if you are, you’ll be driving change which will be career defining. Flexible working highlights • One study has found that a staggering 73% of executives surveyed admitted that their approach to implementing the return-to-office policy post Covid had been flawed. The impulse to revert to pre-pandemic norms may have overshadowed a more nuanced understanding of the evolving needs and preferences of their workforce. • Should workers be forced to go into the office? In a survey by Censuswide on behalf of flexible office experts Space32, just over half of Brits (53%) agreed employers have the right to ask their teams to return to the office five days a week. Only 11% of Brits said that they “disagreed” or “strongly disagreed” that employers had the right. • Brits aged 35-44 were the most likely to agree that employers could enforce full-time office work; 61% of this age group agreed that bosses were within their rights to impose this. • The survey found that working from home is the number one perk for office workers, with more than half of respondents (51%) saying they would sacrifice other benefits to keep it. PROSPER AUTUMN 2023 47
Page 1: THE REGION’S LONGEST-RUNNING BUSI
Page 4 and 5: CONTACTS Editor Sarah Thompson 0330
Page 7 and 8: WELCOME Challenging times demand a
Page 10 and 11: CHAMBER NEWS British Chambers’ Qu
Page 12 and 13: NEWS Chambers to take lead in level
Page 14 and 15: CHAMBER NEWS: PLATINUM GROUP Black
Page 16 and 17: CHAMBER PATRONS Major Black Country
Page 18: NEWS New business group to use coll
Page 21 and 22: AND THE WINNERS ARE……. BUSINESS
Page 24 and 25: BLACK COUNTRY CHAMBER AWARDS LORD C
Page 26: ADVERTORIAL: DANIEL-SCOTT RECRUITME
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Page 38 and 39: IN CONVERSATION WITH... JAMES BOVIL
Page 40: BUSINESS VOICE HS2: What’s in it
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Page 48 and 49: CHAMBER NEWS New Business Council u
Page 50: MEMBERS’ NEWS Family touch keeps
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Page 55 and 56: CHAMBER NEWS MEET THE TEAM Black Co
Page 58 and 59: EVENTS Chamber AGM Black Country Ch
Page 60 and 61: EVENTS DIARY Training events EXPORT
Page 62 and 63: CHAMBER TRAINING COURSES / WORKSHOP
Page 64: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING

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