Health and wellbeing in the workplace

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Emma Banks

iansyst is exhibiting at Health and Wellbeing at Work at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, on March 6th-7th 2012.  The event focuses on improving the health and wellbeing of all people of working age.

The conference and exhibition will provide new ideas and resources to ensure employees are fit and healthy, return quickly from absence and stay in work. It also looks at pioneering strategies for getting vulnerable people into the workplace and enabling them to fulfil their potential.

The National Director for Health and Work, Professor Dame Carol Black, says: “To minimise demands upon a precarious economy, it has become even more important to keep people fit and in work and so reduce the social and economic burdens of sickness – especially long-term sickness – and loss of work and productivity.”

Studies suggest that the majority of working days lost to illness in the UK are due to stress. This can come from a number of factors: over-work, changes in the workplace or inadequate training.   RSI is a particular problem for jobs which involve using the same muscle groups again and again, for example doing a large volume of data entry with an incorrectly positioned keyboard.

 iansyst will be sharing stand 106 with Posturite. They will be demonstrating a range of products, discussing the latest developments regarding MyDocStore and showcasing the new dyslexia screener ­– a simple online tool for employees to take a straightforward 15-minute test which provides an indication of levels of dyslexia.

Visitors can save money by joining the Health and Wellbeing Network in advance: the £30 (£25 + VAT) membership includes free entry to the conference.  Otherwise, a ticket for one day costs £295, or £525 for both days. Food and refreshments are available from the numerous cafes inside the exhibition centre.

For more information about the event or to join the Health and Wellbeing Network, visit http://www.healthatwork2012.co.uk/. Tickets can also be booked by phoning the hotline on +44(0)151 709 8979.


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International Spelling Bee

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Emma Banks

Students around the globe will be taking up the challenge of World Spelling Day on 6th March 2012. Spelling is key to literacy, and literacy is important for education, employment and to understand and participate in day to day activities. However, many people in poorer countries miss out because of a lack of trained teachers and resources.

This event will be a great fundraising opportunity. Funds will be split 50-50 between schools and UNICEF, who are setting up schools and providing resources for some of the neediest children around the world. UK schools will be able to raise money for extra learning resources, equipment, staffing and infrastructure through sponsorship.

Students will be able to play at home or at school against other competitors around the world in live 60-second games of spelling. Participants can play up to 100 games, earning points for their personal tally.

Students can enter individually or teachers can enter a group or class of students. There will be prizes for the best individual and class performers in each age group (4-7, 8-10, 11-13 and 14-18).  Everyone who takes part will receive a certificate and there will be special commendations for students who take part in 60 or more games.

There will also be a chance for older competitors to get involved with the age 19-119 ‘adult’ category, although sadly there are no prizes for this group!

World Spelling Day is one of three events which make up the World Education Games: the others are World Maths Day (7th March) and World Science Day (8th March). 

To take part in World Spelling Day or for more information, visit http://www.worldspellingday.com/.  Registrations and practice open on 1st February 2012.

There are a number of products available to assist children that have spelling difficulties or experience dyslexia. For further information visit www.iansyst.co.uk or call the fully trained team on call 01223 420101.


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Assessor Conference visits London!

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Emma Banks

The Assess 2012 conference, hosted by iansyst, is on 28th and 29th March 2012, at Mary Ward House Conference & Exhibition Centre in London. iansyst is keen to showcase best practice for those students who receive the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).

The two day conference will bring assessors, industry experts and suppliers of equipment together under one roof. It will be a chance for DSA assessors to update their knowledge of the market and find out about new developments.

Assess 2012 also serves as a way to highlight the ways in which assistive technologies can help those with disabilities and other learning needs to reach their full potential.

The conference also provides an opportunity to discuss latest trends and issues and share best practice regarding assistive technologies to help disabled students in Higher Education. 

 Why you should attend:

  • Expert speakers
  • An exhibition showing the most up-to-date products on the market
  • An opportunity to meet and influence suppliers and manufacturers
  • The chance to network with other professionals in your field
  • Information about trends and issues for DSA students that will impact on suppliers and assessors 
  • There will also be a conference dinner for delegates. 

The event will have a large exhibition area showcasing the most up-to-date products on the market, providing an opportunity to meet suppliers and manufacturers to discuss the current products and trends surrounding assistive technologies in Higher Education. 

To find out more about Assess 2012, the delegates dinner or to register your interest in attending, please contact Emma Banks at info@iansyst.co.uk or visit www.iansyst.co.uk/assess2012

Read Alistair McNaught’s excellent ‘Right 2 Read’ presentation from Assess 2010.


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Survey shows managers are becoming more favourable to flexible working arrangements

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Emma Banks

A study of 1,000 bosses has revealed that seven out of ten bosses feel that the idea of nine to five jobs as we once knew them are dying out in favour of more flexible working arrangements.

The survey has shown that the vast majority of bosses in the UK do not expect their staff to always stick to traditional working hours, with 90 per cent stating that they enable their staff to work flexibly to some extent and are open minded as to when and how this work is carried out.

With the rise in social networking affecting all areas of life, it is also making its way into offices up and down the country. However, 63 per cent of managers said that, as long as staff get their work done, they do not mind staff carrying out personal activities such as social networking or taking personal calls.

However, while bosses may be becoming more flexible in their approaches to working arrangements, nearly two thirds of managers also expect their staff to work outside of working hours on occasion. This is more heavily expected in the private sector where 70 percent of managers request extra hours from their staff and 15 percent feel that this is now expected.

It is more likely for male bosses to request extra hours from their staff, with almost forty percent of women saying they would never ask their staff to work extra hours in comparison with only just over 30 percent of male bosses. Of these bosses that do request extra input from members of staff, over 90 percent felt that it was only fair that staff should be able to carry out personal tasks during the day.

The survey also showed that six out of 10 managers allow employees to work from home to some extent.  Employees are entitled to request flexible working arrangements to better manage the demands of home and working life and achieve a reasonable work/life balance. iansyst is available to discuss reasonable adjustments that do not have to be time consuming or costly to implement but can, however, greatly improve the work life and therefore the contribution of employees.

 Further information about these services can be found here: http://www.re-adjust.co.uk/

Further information about the survey can be found here: http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/hro/news/1020516/britains-bosses-realising-successful-businesses-focus-generating-results-monitoring-employees-desks-survey


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Bookless Britain

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Emma Banks

A recent survey carried out by the National Literacy Trust revealed the shocking statistic that almost 4 million children in the UK do not own a book, with a fifth of children having never been to a book shop or a library. Increasing from one in ten in 2005, the statistics now show that one in three children do not own a single book.

The survey was carried out on school-aged children from 111 schools across the UK with results suggesting that children with their own books were more likely to be above average readers and more successful at school. Boys and pupils receiving free school meals were highlighted as being among those least likely to own a book..

The National Literacy Trust has identified a direct correlation between reading ability and book ownership. Of the children surveyed who owned their own books, more than half read above the level expected for their age and only one in 10 children were reading below the expected level for their age.   In comparison, nearly a fifth of children that did not own their own books were failing to meet the expected level of reading.

Further information about the survey can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-16031370


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The HR Directors Business Summit

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Emma Banks

iansyst is attending the HR Directors Business Summit in Birmingham at the ICC on the 24th -25th January. One of the largest HR events in the world, iansyst is looking forward to attending the event to showcase new products, offer its expert advice on assistive technology and help HR staff meet their obligations under the Equality Act.

On stand 115, iansyst staff will be on hand to provide expert advice on assistive technology for HR staff and to recommend different products and services that are available to reflect a variety of requirements. iansyst will highlight the ways in which assistive technologies can be used to assist on a day-to-day basis in the workplace for all staff as well as for those with disabilities. Specifically designed to assist HR employees, the re-adjust service from iansyst provides staff with invaluable information surrounding disabilities in the workplace and how to ensure a disability-friendly workplace.

As well as offering advice regarding reasonable adjustments, iansyst will also be showcasing products – including a new dyslexia screening tool and updates to popular software programmes – that are available to assist employees in the workplace.

iansyst welcomes visitors to come along to the stand to enquire about the services that it has to offer and find out more about the ways in which it can help HR staff in their roles.

Further information about the summit can be found here: http://www.hrevent.com/

Further information about re-adjust can be found here: http://www.re-adjust.co.uk


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HR staff suffer increased stress levels during the festive period

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Emma Banks

While many departments may be winding down and getting into the spirit of Christmas, there is one department that will not have this luxury during the festive period:  the HR department. A recent poll carried out by Bupa has shown that December proves to be one of the most stressful times of year for HR staff, with 71 per cent feeling that increased levels of staff absence has a negative effect on the HR team.

While absence is cited as one of the main factors attributing to increased levels of stress for HR staff, the task of having to find replacements or temporary cover staff is also considered to be one of the main causes of stress at this time of year. As a result, over a quarter of the HR staff that were surveyed felt the need to work extra hours in order to catch up on tasks that they had fallen behind on due to the increasing workload.

Absenteeism costs companies millions of pounds each year. With the added indulgences of the Christmas period, these companies can end up losing thousands of pounds in lost productivity, extra staff and overtime incurred as result of staff calling in sick, with almost 45 per cent of those surveyed believing that increased levels of absence during this time were as a result of ‘overindulgence’ as part of the party season. 

There are varying methods that companies use to try and discourage increased levels of absenteeism during December – varying from the threat of losing pay to supplying hangover remedies – with 78 per cent of those surveyed implementing policies to try and prevent this from happening in December. However, it is important that companies ensure that HR staff are equipped to deal with a potential rise in levels of absenteeism in order to prevent this time of year from becoming particularly stressful for them.

iansyst offers a service called re-adjust to companies of all sizes. As part of the re-adjust initiative, iansyst can provide workshops designed to help employers and employees to create a healthier, more pro-active and motivated workforce. One such workshop has been specifically designed for Senior Managers with the specific aim of improving confidence in dealing with mental health and stress concerns in the workplace, ensuring that the HR team is fully supported and does not feel under increased pressure during this, or any other time of year.

For further information about re-adjust, please visit: http://www.re-adjust.co.uk/7046/mental-health-and-stress-prevention, email: info@iansyst.co.uk or call 01223 420101.

Further information regarding the survey can be found here: http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/hro/news/1020520/hr-employees-stress-levels-soar-christmas-period-staff-absence-bupa


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iansyst returns to SEN zone at BETT 2012

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Emma Banks

iansyst is delighted to be returning to the BETT Educational show, taking place between 11th and 14th January 2012 at Olympia in London.  Exhibiting on stand SN05 in the SEN zone, iansyst will be showcasing the latest assistive technologies for learners of all ages and abilities.

As well as familiar products, such as dictation software, portable devices, literacy and numeracy software and text to speech software, visitors to the stand can see demonstrations of a variety of new products. These include:

  • A Higher Education dyslexia screening tool – helping to easily identify dyslexia through an online screening test
  • EB Wordbanks – enabling users to create banks of words from a variety of sources
  • Spellex – for speech recognition software, providing specific dictionaries for use with speech recognition including medical, legal and scientific

Along with the new products, iansyst will also be on hand to discuss its latest innovative developments, including the proposed MyDocStore – an innovative concept addressing the missing link in creating and transferring accessible files between platforms – that are sure to have a huge impact on the future of assistive technology.

Visitors to the stand can also speak to iansyst staff who will be available to provide expert advice on assistive technology for education and can recommend different products that are available to reflect a variety of requirements, highlighting the ways in which assistive technologies can be used to assist on a day to day basis in the classroom for all pupils as well as for those with SEN.

Further information regarding BETT 2012 can be found here: http://www.bettshow.com/bett/website/Default.aspx?refer=6&id=mainLnk6


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More school children than ever being diagnosed with SEN and behavioural difficulties

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Emma Banks

A report published by the Department for Education has shown that more than one in five pupils are now labelled as experiencing behavioural problems, learning difficulties or physical disabilities. The report has shown that, in total, 1.67 million children are now diagnosed with Special Educational Needs (SEN), the majority being educated in mainstream schools.

These figures reveal a 10 percent rise in the numbers of schoolchildren being diagnosed with SEN – rising from 19 percent of English schoolchildren in 2006 to 21 percent this year. Outcomes from the report also show that specific groups of schoolchildren were more likely to be diagnosed than their classmates, with boys and pupils from poorer backgrounds being more likely to be labelled.  

More boys than girls being diagnosed with SEN

Boys were far more likely to be diagnosed than girls, with results showing that 25 percent of boys in primary schools and more than 26 per cent of those in secondary education, had SEN. In comparison, less than 14 per cent of girls under 11 and 16.4 percent of girls at secondary school were diagnosed with SEN or behavioural problems.

Free school meals

The survey also showed that 31.2 percent of pupils with SEN in primary schools were eligible for free school meals in comparison to 14.9 percent of pupils who come from families earning more than £16,000. This is also the case in secondary schools where the gap is even wider.

Links between SEN and poor exam results

The report also highlighted the link between SEN and poor examination results, with data showing that pupils without SEN are more than three times as likely to reach the expected standard at the end of their secondary school careers than their classmates with SEN or behavioural issues. Of the pupils with SEN, only 20 percent leave school with five GCSEs, compared with 66 percent of their classmates.

Further information can be read on The Telegraph website, here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8836704/More-schoolchildren-being-diagnosed-with-special-needs.html


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Leading employers join forces to remove barriers affecting disabled people seeking employment

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Emma Banks

A group of 19 leading UK employers have joined forces to tackle the barriers that often inhibit disabled people from gaining employment.

The procedure that was launched by Employers’ Forum on Disability (EFD) will mean that leading  recruitment agencies, used by the 19 employers, will be required to identify and remove any perceived obstacles for disabled people that are applying for jobs.

Susan Scott-Parker, Chief Executive at the EFD, commented that recruitment agencies are failing to deliver suitable disabled candidates for the relevant vacancies and that these agencies will now, as a result of the protocol, be required to remove obstacles that inhibit disabled people from being equally considered for employment roles.

The EFD have given details of the barriers that disabled people face when applying for roles. These include: agencies or employers insisting that candidates use online applications where there is no option to explain how a disability might have affected academic achievements; a lack of consideration as to whether or not it is physically possible for people to attend interviews; and failing to understand that someone who needs to lip-read might not always be able to make eye contact.

Worryingly, a recent survey carried out by The Clear Company showed that 70 per cent of disabled candidates who had used recruitment agencies in the past would be reluctant to do so again. As a result, the move, launched by EFD, has been welcomed by the CIPD which pointed out the business benefits for employers that ensure that they have access to as wide a range of talent as possible.

The full article can be found here: http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2011/10/20/58059/employers-unite-to-remove-disabled-candidates-recruitment-barriers.html


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