1. How many people experience a mental health condition each year in the UK?a. 1 in 25b. 1 in 10c. 1 in 4d. 1 in 22. To get to know her team better, Kerrie decides to start her weekly team meetings by asking everyone to share one thing they are excited about and one thing they are worried about in the coming week. Most of the team happily contribute but she notices that Saba does not seem comfortable doing this. Which of the following actions should Kerrie not take next?a. She could lead by example and share her own worries and concerns to encourage others to do the same.b. She should assess whether this practice is appropriate for the team, and whether any limitations on what can be discussed should be set to help everyone feel comfortable to share.c. She should check in on Sara in an individual catch-up.d. Nothing - she's given Saba the opportunity to share if anything is worrying her so she's done enough.3. If you suspect that a member of your team is struggling with their mental health, what is a good approach to take to address this?a. Wait until the employee feels comfortable approaching you to discuss anything, you do not want to pry.b. Schedule time as soon as you can to have a private conversation with the employee.c. Discuss your observations with the employee, explain it is impacting their work and ask that they get themselves sorted out.d. Let the team the employee works in know that something is not right and ask that they do not give the employee any further work as they might not give the right impression to customers. 4. An employee confides that they have a mental health condition to you. Which of the following actions would be inappropiate?a. Keep the information to yourself even if you are concerned for the individual's safety.b. You may need to make other managers who delegate work to the individual aware that they are experiencing some challenges.c. You may need to refer to HR for further guidance and support in how to deal with the situation.d. You could decide to talk to and get advice from your own manager for support.The answers can be found at the bottom of the article.Answers: 1. (c) 2. (d) 3. (b) 4. (a)SourceManuela Grossmann

If you suspect that a member of your team is struggling with their mental health, what is a good approach to take to address this?

Quiz: Supporting an employee with mental health concerns

<h1 id="f5cfd0af-ab94-4984-9e9e-80a09695f990" data-toc-id="f5cfd0af-ab94-4984-9e9e-80a09695f990">Sustainability skills shortage: is there a ’green jobs’ crisis?</h1>“(…) More than a quarter of UK employers face skills shortages when hiring for sustainability roles,” according to hiring platform Indeed.Last week, energy secretary Ed Miliband said the government would help build a “clean power army” to hit targets for green energy generation by 2030, yet 49% of respondents to Indeed’s poll said they lacked the necessary qualifications or experience.Two in five workers (41%) feel employers are not open enough to transferable skills, according to Indeed, even though 27% said they would take a pay cut to secure a sustainability role.<h3 id="99d1d9bd-11b6-481d-ad2c-e0009eecd63d" data-toc-id="99d1d9bd-11b6-481d-ad2c-e0009eecd63d">Sustainability roles</h3>More than a quarter of respondents (27%) said that a lack of available positions was the main barrier to entering the green jobs market. Location is also a concern, with almost a quarter saying there are not enough roles near them. This is an improvement on last year, when 42% felt limited by location.Workers aged between 25 and 34 are the generation most invested in the green sector, with a third willing to take a pay cut and 42% open to retraining. Almost half (49%) of this group said they would consider a sustainability role if they started their career today.By contrast, less than a third (29%) of 18 to 24-year-olds said they would take a pay cut in 2025, down from 42% in 2024.Despite the perception that employers are not open to reskilling, 42% said they believed better training could bridge the skills gap in the green sector, up from 31% in 2024.More than half (53%) of employers believe more should be done to encourage young people into green careers, although this is down from last year (63%).In 2025, a higher proportion of jobseekers were unsuccessful in trying to enter a sustainability role (28%) than were successful (22%). Last year this was the other way around (32% successful compared to 27% unsuccessful).Overall, both employers and workers believe that sustainability is good for business and for attracting talent. Nearly half of workers (44%) say they now place more importance on working in roles that positively impact the environment, although this figure has declined since last year (55%).That said, almost a quarter (23%) are attracted to the sustainability sector due to its “positive image”, suggesting their motivations might not be entirely about impact.“Bridging the gap between motivated jobseekers and employers’ perceived barriers to hiring will require investment in skills and greater awareness of transferable experience,” said Matt Burney, senior strategic advisor at Indeed.“With the right support, the green workforce can be a powerful force in driving the UK’s net-zero ambitions forward.” (…)”Source: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/skills-shortages-blight-sustainability-revolution/">Skills shortages blight sustainability revolution</a>

According to Indeed, more than a quarter of UK employers face skills shortages when hiring for sustainability. 

Sustainability skills shortage: is there a 'green jobs' crisis?

<h1 id="f5cfd0af-ab94-4984-9e9e-80a09695f990" data-toc-id="f5cfd0af-ab94-4984-9e9e-80a09695f990">New ruling regarding transgender rights</h1>In the case of For Women Scotland vs The Scottish Ministers, the unanimous ruling was returned: the definition of women under the Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex.Full details here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2024-0042">For Women Scotland Ltd (Appellant) v The Scottish Ministers (Respondent) - UK Supreme Court</a>The appeal was raised following the interpretation of the Scottish Gender Representation on Public Boards Act (2018), that transgender women shall be regarded as women in the context of the legislation (the Act advises on the inclusion of women in leading roles and on public boards, recommending a 50% representation rate).But the ruling may be more far-reaching than this Scottish law.Gender critical groups have for some time now voiced concern as to the rules applying to women, men and persons undergoing gender reassignment, particularly when it comes to inclusion and discrimination issues.As this appeal decision was made by the Supreme Court, the view of the law is now clear: women are only classed as women if they are so by sex, and biologically.Trans rights groups have voiced their concerns, but in order to address these, the UK Government would have to initiate a review of the Equality Act 2010.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/opposition-supreme-court-ruling-ehrc-akua-reindorf/">Opposition to Supreme Court sex ruling is ‘wishful thinking’</a><h3 id="01fceb3a-b29a-42bd-a2b3-c97ef46e028f" data-toc-id="01fceb3a-b29a-42bd-a2b3-c97ef46e028f">What does this mean for employers?</h3>Ultimately, discrimination, exclusion and harassment is unacceptable for any reason. So, employers should continue to enforce their rules and educate team members on issues of trans- and homophobia, as well as sexism etc.We envisage that pronoun use may once again come under fire following these latest announcements. However, employers are advised that protection under gender re-assignment still remains under the Act and that an individual’s gender choice is still a legal right.If you record data such as gender pay gap reports, any individuals currently transitioning should be included with the representation group of their biological sex.Employers may also wish to review their policies to ensure that the correct wording is being used, reflecting this clarification.

In the case of For Women Scotland vs The Scottish Ministers, the unanimous ruling was returned: the definition of women under the Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex. But how might this ruling be more far-reaching than this Scottish law?

New ruling regarding transgender rights - what does this mean for employers?

The Employment Rights Bill is set to bring major changes to employment law — but one of its most striking developments has gone largely unnoticed.Last week’s Amendment Paper revealed that the new Fair Work Agency will now have unprecedented powers, including:<ul><li>The ability to bring Employment Tribunal claims on behalf of workers — even if they don’t want to claim themselves.</li><li>The power to offer legal assistance for employment cases, with the Fair Work Agency's costs recoverable from employers if the claim succeeds.</li><li>The authority to pursue employers for unpaid holiday pay and sick pay and impose financial penalties on top which go straight to the government</li></ul>These amendments to the Bill could fundamentally reshape employment litigation. Employers who previously relied on employee reluctance to claim may now find the Fair Work Agency stepping in instead.This is just the beginning. These amendments are likely to pass into law—but how they will work in practice remains uncertain.

The Employment Rights Bill is set to bring major changes to employment law — but one of its most striking developments has gone largely unnoticed.