Coventry & Warwickshire in business
Health and Wellbeing New health and wellness podcast offering positivity and hope to those living with a chronic illness challenges those with an illness face. It highlights the ripple effects of a chronic illness from the individuals to their relationships, careers, health, and happiness. It is also a beacon of hope for those navigating health challenges, as each episode offers a lifeline with practical strategies, emotional support, and a sense of community. Whether you are grappling with a recent diagnosis, managing someone with a chronic illness, or supporting a loved one through their journey. The Chronic Illness Coach has launched its brand-new podcast, The Chronic Illness Coach Podcast, which combines personal stories of those living with chronic illnesses, discussions of key topics such as what happens during a diagnosis process and interviews with experts in the health and wellness industry. The Chronic Illness Coach, founded by Alex Morris, specialises in helping those living with chronic illnesses to thrive in their health and life. It combines Rapid Transformational Coaching and Integrative Nutrition Health Coaching to tackle the mind and body simultaneously. Alex is passionate about showing those living with a chronic illness that they can still have the life they dreamt of and that it is possible to thrive, be healthy and happy. The podcast offers a refreshingly honest and unfiltered recollection of the daily
Alex Morris, Founder of The Chronic Illness Coach, said: “Launching a holistic health and wellness business has been a dream since I was diagnosed with a chronic illness.” “After my diagnosis I was advised to go to a hospital support group, where I was met with an overwhelming wave of fear, loss of hope and resignation that this is all life has to offer. This experience lit a fire within me to ensure that anyone living with a chronic illness knows it does not need to be the end to their hopes and dreams.” “I genuinely believe that anyone living with a chronic illness can still create a healthy, happy, and inspired life for themselves. This is why I started the podcast to make it easy and accessible for anyone to get the expertise they need to take control of their own health.” The Chronic Illness Coach Podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
Are you up to date on paternity leave changes? April has been a busy month for employment law. The government has confirmed significant updates to many existing regulations, including the rights surrounding paternity leave.
What are the key changes? The new regulations allow all fathers or partners to split their two-week leave into two blocks of one week each. This flexibility enables them to take their leave at any point within the first year following the birth or adoption of their child, rather than the first eight weeks as previously specified. The notice period has also been reduced. The regulations now state 28 days before the ex-pected week of childbirth rather than the previous requirement of 15 weeks. These changes will apply from March 8 this year to all babies born or children adopted from April 6.
What do employers need to do? 1. Amend any relevant documentation or templates, including employee handbooks and communicate the changes internally to all employees.
2. Ensure management are aware of the changes. This will ensure requests are re-sponded to correctly and in a timely manner. 3. Identify any management training needs regarding these updates and implement an appropriate programme.
Do these amendments go far enough? Despite these improvements, the UK’s paternity leave policy offers some of the least generous benefits compared to other European countries. In Sweden, paternity leave is paid for the first 90 days, alongside an advantageous parental scheme. Parents in Ice-land are entitled to six months’ leave. There have been calls to align paternity leave with maternity leave and provide six weeks’ leave at 90% pay. Employers offering an enhanced paternity package can foster a culture of loyalty, improve retention rates amongst working parents and attract a more diverse workforce. https://ahrconsultants.co.uk/
Are you a Carer-friendly Employer? Unpaid carers play an important role in families, communities and broader society by supporting others to have a better quality of life. While caring can be extremely rewarding, it can also be stressful and isolating if carers don’t get the support they need. Caring can be physically, psychologically, emotionally and financially difficult, and undertaking caring responsibilities alongside paid work may worsen these difficulties. Almost a third of working carers in the UK have not discussed their caring role with anyone at their workplace, most commonly because they believed that nothing would change as a result. 600 carers leave their jobs every day because of the pressure of combining work with their caring responsibilities. By creating a carer-friendly workplace, employers can attract and retain talent and realise the organisational and social benefits of supporting carers. Carers Trust Heart of England is a charity that supports unpaid carers in Coventry and Warwickshire delivering the service on behalf of Coventry City Council and Warwickshire County Council.
CARERS WEEK 2024
Carers Week 2024 is an annual campaign in the United Kingdom that aims to raise awareness of caring and support unpaid carers. This year, it will take place from Monday, June 10th until Sunday, June 16th, 2024. The theme for this year’s Carers Week is “Putting carers on the map.” During this campaign, the focus is on highlighting the challenges faced by family and friend carers and recognizing the significant contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. We’re holding several events that companies can support or sponsor: Walk for Carers 9 June Packington Estate. A 4 mile walk around Packington Estate Carer Information Fair 12 June at Broadstreet Rugby Club 11am-6pm – an information day for carers to find out what support is available to them Carer Awards 13 June where we recognise the unsung heroes in our community
As an employer, you will know just how important it is to keep skilled and experienced staff. Carers Trust Heart of England is here to help you support and retain them. The Carer Friendly Employer Award is designed to support you throughout your journey towards building a positive and inclusive workplace for all staff who are, or who will become carers.
To find out more about our Carer Friendly Employer Award and how we can support your business, email contactus@carerstrusthofe.org.uk or call 024 7663 2972. If you would like to know more about Carers Trust Heart of England and how you can support us, visit www.carerstrusthofe.org.uk. www.cw-chamber.co.uk
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