Mental health awareness has never been higher on the UK agenda. Recent campaigns, led by ambassadors from the world of royalty, sport and television, have given the subject the high-profile it deserves. ‘It’s good to talk’ is the message. But is this finding its way into the workplace?

The number of NHS staff quitting their jobs over long hours has soared in the last decade. New figures reveal that more than 200,000 nurses have left the service since 2010 and resignations over work-life balance have increased dramatically.

We all know that Monday morning feeling. The start of the week can sometimes feel like an uphill climb. From Blue Monday to Manic Monday, we don’t always see the first working day in a positive light.

So does this make Monday the most popular day to take sick leave? FirstCare’s absence management data reveals something surprising.

Two FirstCare nurses were shortlisted as finalists in this year’s UK Contact Centre Forum (UKCCF) Awards.

October 18^th saw the second of 2018’s FirstCare User Group events, where we invite clients to a notable venue to share service updates, industry insights and networking opportunities.

The summer of 2018 saw the Norovirus bug sweep through the UK, but live data, taken from our reported absences across more than 185,000 employees in the UK, demonstrates that gastro-related illness is actually down on 2017.

Despite predictions that the UK economy would grind to a halt the day after England’s World Cup exit at the hands (or feet) of Croatia, data collected by absence management specialists, FirstCare, tell a completely different story.

For many, improving absence management processes has become ‘old hat’. Promoting wellbeing is the newer, more fashionable agenda. But in reality, absence management remains a crucial part of everyday, working life.

Monday 15th January marks “Blue Monday” - the name given to the day that is claimed to be the most depressing of the year. 

Opening up to a nurse

Many years ago, I had a boss who I got on with very well; we worked hard as a team and had fun too. He knew I wasn’t the type to ‘pull-a-sickie’. Despite my excellent sickness record (a handful of days in 5 years), character and commitment, I hated making a call to him to let him know I was sick. He’d always make me feel like I could come in, but didn’t want to. He’d ask...