Irish commuting has never been longer. While the average worker now spends half an hour commuting to and from work daily, 1 in 5 workers across Ireland spend over 45 minutes commuting to and from work.

But what impact can commuting, and business travel have on your colleagues? Let’s delve into these risks and how your business can best support your commuting staff.
 
Irish Commuting in 2019
Ireland’s workers are spending copious amounts of time driving and commuting to and from work. On top of this, more workers are now travelling for longer periods of time for work-related purposes.

According to recent research conducted by iCarhireinsurance.ie, an increasing number of workers are travelling more frequently for business, with some reporting that they are willing to travel on trips upwards of 9 hours on average.

So, what is the big deal if these workers are more than willing to travel for business? The answer: workforce health!

In this same study of 1,000 Republic of Ireland road trip travellers, a worrying trend appeared: 75% of road users admitted to taking a caffeinated beverage instead of a proper rest during longer periods of commuting. In fact, only 14% reported taking a nap to overcome tiredness.

Irish commuters and their health are increasingly at risk due to business travel. Is your business taking this into consideration?
 
How to Support Your Commuting Colleagues
In any business, its people that matter. As the old JW Marriott saying goes, “If you take care of your people, they will take care of your customers and your business will take care of itself”; nothing could be truer.

Looking after your colleagues spans across every element of working life, from providing first-class benefits to ensuring all staff enjoy a healthy work-life balance.

The same can be applied to those employees that commute daily, or frequently travel for your business. Here are
just a few steps that your business and its HR team can take to ensure that those colleagues and their health are appreciated:
 

• Share Out Those Miles

Ensuring all relevant colleagues do their share of business travel will keep staff content and ensure that all members work equally.

While business trips can be great experiences for younger colleagues, and a breath of fresh air for the more experienced, they can also become a burden for staff who have family commitments to balance outside of work.

Taking time away for business travel can mean families have to reorganise school runs, or family events, often at the last minute. Sharing out those business miles will go some way in easing the burden for these colleagues and give everyone the opportunity to gain a great work experience.

On the other end of the spectrum, your business can encourage daily commuting colleagues to seek out staff members who live in proximity to themselves and begin to car share. Not only can your business go some way to tackling climate change, but colleagues can share each other’s commuting burden, take the stress out of travel and save on fuel at the same time!
 

• Set Realistic Travel Expectations

Your people, their needs and their health should always come first. Increasing road awareness through training can help colleagues to understand the dangers of driving while tired, and enforce the importance of regular commuting breaks, especially during longer periods of solo car travel.

On the other hand, as a business, ensure you do not set unrealistic travel expectations. Whether it’s a tight arrival time between flights and trains or expecting long-distance daily commuters to come into the office during extreme weather, putting travel pressure on staff can be both unnecessary and harmful to workforce health.
 

• Give Time to Switch Off

Staff can often place perceived expectations on themselves during travel. Despite waking in the early hours to catch a flight or jump on the motorway, colleagues often feel pressured to continue working out of hours.

While your business may need colleagues to respond to some emails or follow up on a missed call, setting aside time to rest during travel will give staff a break from these often intense work days; implementing standards of responsiveness will also clear up any ambiguity and ensure staff are clear of what is expected.
 
Hit Full Throttle on Commuting Support
In 2019, commuting is just another factor in the life of the Irish worker. As Dublin continues to expand, and other regional cities like Cork welcome new companies, commuting from other areas of Ireland will only increase.

​If your business wants to attract new talent and put current colleagues first, monitoring staff commutes, and work-related travel can inform where those staff need support. Whether its scheduling realistic connecting flights or sharing the responsibility of business trips amongst relevant colleagues, your HR team can go a long way in ensuring your commuting colleagues feel valued and supported.  

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
 
A simple Google search for ‘team building in Ireland’ now stirs up over 735 million hits – event companies have begun to specialise in team building activities for a wide variety of workplaces.
 
In today’s world of instant messaging and social media addiction, people are spending increase amounts of time alone; nine hours a day online for Irish teenagers. This behaviour will only enforce habits of isolation in your workplace in the coming years.
 
With this in mind, it’s getting harder to get staff genuinely enthused for team building. The very fact that these work activities are often made compulsory is enough to drain the fun out of it.
 
Team building is about forging connections; team building is about giving staff the freedom to choose their activities and make decisions as a team. Growing such bonds will make a direct impact on your staff’s ability to work together and your overall company performance.
 
Are you ready to rejuvenate your team building strategy? Let’s see why it matters and how your HR team can help.
 
 
Why Does It Matter?
 
It matters because without people, there is no product or service. It matters because any organisation, large or small, relies on the ability of a team to work together cohesively, to trust each other to finish their jobs, and deliver the product or service offered by their company.   
 
British entrepreneur, Richard Branson, has long advocated for an employee-first approach, “If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your clients”. In other words, a well-developed and trusting team will deliver the best performance and results for your business.
 
To run a successful business, one must understand that healthy relationships are what create high-quality work and a positive company culture. 
 
To build healthy relationships, your team building policy must involve an element of ‘letting go’, of allowing your team to negotiate what event they would like to partake in and having the freedom to shape elements of your company culture.  
 
 
So, What’s the Best Method Since You’ve Rejected My Trust Fall Idea?  

To really support meaningful team building, you need to choose the kinds of activities that are going to form bonds for the long-term. Sorry trust fall, you don’t make the grade.

Engaging each member’s individuality through the team building activities you undertake will improve everyone’s emotional intelligence about each other; a major asset to any team.

Below are just some examples:

• Implement Resilience Training

Teaching your staff how to handle difficult circumstances will speak to every person in the room.

While it enhances staff wellbeing, it will also encourage staff to discuss their vulnerabilities. 
Allowing staff to bring out their personal side, when comfortable, can be key to improving professional relationships.

• Communicating Communication Style

 
Each employee comes with their own idiosyncrasies and to work together productively, these unique characteristics need to be accommodated.
 
One effective way of doing so is by openly discussing your preferred communication style.
 
By vocalising whether you prefer to pass on information better verbally or in written form can make hand-offs so much easier while also showcasing staff how unique their colleagues are.
 
Keep it Fun
While more in-depth team building activities could be exactly what your HR policy needs, old-fashioned fun is still key. 
You can shake up the tired format of the traditional ‘ice-breaker’ by taking your team away for a weekend, for an escape rooms experience or even by having a NERF battle in the office!
 
Time for an HR Approach to Team Building

The key to top team building? Choice and a concrete HR strategy!

Regardless of the activity, encouraging staff to choose team building activities will introduce colleagues naturally and enthuse them to take part.

Time invested in team building will improve the quality of relationships in each department, give staff an opportunity to form lasting bonds, and improve your company’s performance and reputation as a result.

​Whether it’s serious resilience training or something a little more fun, get your HR team involved and get a team building strategy in place!

If you’re a HR practitioner, you’ll know that familiar feeling of dread when the sun starts shining and with it, come a flurry of summer holiday requests.
 
Everyone has the same idea of catching some rays in the Costa Del Sol and switching their briefcase for their suitcase.  
 
According to the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, each employee is entitled to approximately 4 weeks’ annual leave. 
 
If a lot of your staff take their holidays at once, it will undoubtedly derail productivity, especially if you’re a small business.
 
Regulating the summer holidays is a failsafe way to make your life easier and ensure your employees get the rest they deserve.
 
 
First Come, First Served
 
Sounds pretty simple, right? Wrong.
 
While a first-come, first-served basis is probably the fairest way to manage holiday requests, it is important to inform staff of the periods likely to be the most popular ahead of time.
 
Employees must be informed of alternative break periods available and made aware of the limitations of attaining summer leave so as expectations don’t become too high and be quashed thereafter.
 
Here are 3 top HR tips to ensure your annual leave policy is up to scratch!
 

1. Carrying Over Holiday Leave

 
Sometimes employees will take holidays en masse to ‘use up’ those they have accrued.
This sense of urgency often leads to crossovers between employees’ planned holidays and there’s nothing worse than telling one employee that they can’t jet off because of a clash.
While annual leave is usually taken within that leave year, it’s legal to spend leave within 6 months of the relevant year, with employer’s consent.
By negotiating with upper management about opening a carryover period for employees, you will reduce the perceived pressure on staff to take them while they can.

1. All Hands On Deck

There may be some parts of the summer which will be more popular than others but what will that time be like for your business?
If there is a specific time when you need everyone available to work, you can establish a ‘blackout’ for that period.
Creating a company blackout will ensure your business operations run smoothly during busy periods and will make sure staff know the available windows of time for their holidays.

1. Set Holiday Length to Ensure Everyone Gets Some Sun

Limiting holidays to a standard length will depend upon several variables including company size, number of staff and the frequency of projected busy periods.
Applying a limit will democratise the holiday season and lessen the rush to book vacation time as everyone will have the same chances of securing their summer break. 
Digital applications like WHOSOFF are a great way to help your staff envision the windows of time available to them and can also be used to communicate the tenets of your annual leave policy to staff ahead of time.
 
Note! Be Transparent!  
It is important to agree on a process by which employees are allocated time off.
As HR practitioners are often colleagues of employees in different departments, it is vital that no preferential treatment is given to friends of those who are running operations.
Furthermore, it is vital that all levels and types of staff are treated equally when it comes to leave requests, respective of their contract type and hours.
Share a calendar, either online or on the wall of the office, and update it with the accepted applications you have received.
This will not only communicate that you are treating each staff member fairly but allow you to book cover far in advance and motivate staff to work around each other in the planning of their breaks.
 
 
In Review
Implementing an annual leave policy will level the playing field for employees seeking that well-deserved summer holiday. 

Informing employees of carryover and blackout periods, as well as the maximum time they can take off is vital to ensuring efficient negotiation between HRs and employees.

Making a collective calendar accessible to all staff members will ensure transparency and will enable staff to be informed about their colleagues’ bookings when they submit their application.

In short, we can all go on a summer holiday but just not at once! Negotiation by management and HR is key to keeping staff happy and your business productive during the upcoming summer season.

In Ireland, we’re renowned for our needy relationship with the sun which sees us enjoying the rarity of an Irish summer but unfortunately, it’s often with outrageous sunburn!
 
Last year we were in our element as Met Éireann confirmed the 2018 summer as one of the hottest and driest for decades.
 
At the end of June, for example, a temperature of 32 degrees was recorded at Shannon Airport which was later revealed by forecasters to be the first record-breaking June temperature there since 1976!
 
When we’re not acting the maggot, we’re behind our desks and when the heat cranks up, so too can your employees.
 
While there is no designated maximum temperature in Irish Workplace Law, it is up to your HR department to step in when the sun’s out a bit too much.
 
Not only can a hot office become uncomfortable and distracting, it can affect employee productivity, and your business as a result.
 
This article will delve into some measures you can take to avoid any heatwave hassle and keep your staff cool and collected this summer!
  

Let’s Turn Down the Heat!
 
Adapting your space for a heatwave requires a mix of new additions and reworking existing features.
 
Insulating pipes or shading windows can minimise the heat-generating parts of the office while introducing air conditioning or anti-glare window film can be key additions to summer-proofing your workplace.
 
Further features such as a water cooler can make it easier for employees to stay hydrated and avoid heat-related illnesses like heat stroke and heat exhaustion.
 

Sending the Dress Code on Vacation
 
While differing dress codes exist to help a business exude a certain culture and level of professionalism, they can become a hindrance during Summer.
 
While there is no designation of a maximum temperature for workplaces, you have a duty of care to ensure the wellbeing of employees in times of increased heat.
 
The Health and Safety Authority states that during working hours, a workplace should ensure that:
 
‘the temperature in rooms containing workstations is appropriate for human beings, having regard to the working methods being used and the physical demands placed on the employees.’  
 
Since 37 ˚C is normal body temperature, the TUC has set 27 ˚C (manual workers) and 30 ˚C (sedentary workers) as maximum temperatures.
 
Offering your employees freedom to dress in more lightweight clothing and aiming for the TUC’s recommended room temperatures, you can take a bold step forward towards a better summer policy.
 
 
Sun Smart Guidelines
 
Having your employees’ best interests at heart doesn’t have to end at 5pm. But do you play Baz Luhrmann’s “Sunscreen Song”? Your HR team can offer concrete guidelines and information to individuals on how best to protect themselves from the harmful effects of UV radiation.
 
The Marie Keating Foundation have created a SunSmart Code to equip Irish people with the vital information they need to best protect themselves in the heat.
 
Their SunSmart code is compiled of 5 tenets which would be useful for all employees but especially for those who complete some or all of their workday outdoors:

1. Always wear sunscreen
2. Wear protective clothing, a hat and sunglasses
3. Choose a sunscreen that has good protection against UVA rays as well as a high SPF
4. Never, ever use sunbeds
5.  Avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm
 
To Wrap Up
Weather changes call for policy changes.

To upkeep your standards of employee wellbeing, you’ll need to innovate your office to meet the changing temperatures and humidity levels.

Introducing features like anti-glare window film or insulating office heat-producing features like pipes can significantly improve your employees’ quality of life in the workplace.

Lowering the rigours of the dress code to better accommodate employees’ needs in higher temperatures will help will upkeep productivity while helping people cool off.

​Offering information about precautions to take when in the sun is a further measure that will get your employees excited for sunnier days while inspiring steps to well-being!