As it’s National Stress Awareness day maybe we should all take 5 to think about our own stress levels. And if you wield a position of power at work (you wish!) then how are you managing stress in your workplace?

Take a look at ISMA’s top ten stress busting tips   Here’s a summary:

1. Learn to manage your time more effectively

2. Adopt a healthy lifestyle

3. Know your limitations and do not take on too much

4. Find out what causes you stress

5. Avoid unnecessary conflict

6. Accept the things you cannot change

7. Take time out to relax and recharge your batteries

8. Find time to meet friends

9. Try to see things differently, develop a positive thinking style

10. Avoid alcohol, nicotine and caffeine as coping mechanisms

There are a number of downloadables on the International Stress Management Association (ISMA) website so do head over there and take a look at their site

And can elearning help? We have a course on Managing Stress At Work  to help individuals and managers recognise stress and find ways to deal with it. Time Managment training is also worth considering as learning to manage your time effectively will really help with stress levels.  Take a look at the course info pages if you’d like to find out more.

Are you thinking about how to justify the spend on a new e-learning or training project?

Towards Maturity have some ideas on that:

1. Quantify the potential impact – don’t just concentrate on the technology and features

2. Align your learning strategy with the business

3. Leverage the experience of others

4. Position yourself for success – timing is everything

Take a look at the article from Towards Maturity here:

http://towardsmaturity.org/article/2014/03/06/building-case-spend-save/

If your staff work in areas where they may be exposed to Asbestos then we offer cost effective online Asbestos course which has recently been approved by Rospa. Many of our clients need to prove they have completed an Asbestos Awareness course before they are allowed to work on client sites. eLearning or online courses provide a convenient way to do that and the course fee includes the certificate which your staff can download as soon as they’ve passed the course.

Find out more about Global Asbestos Awareness week and the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organisation: http://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org/archives/25326

What do you think? Will you find this useful to convert all those fantastic online courses you’ve been building?

Ok, so you don’t really want to waste time but sometimes it’s easier to turn something on it’s head and look at what NOT to do. Here’s our upside down time management tips along with a special offer on time management training if you want to learn how to be more productive.

Write lists.
Lots of them. Once you’ve done that, build a spreadsheet for your list and make it look pretty. Work out how you’re going to prioritise and code it – leave no stone unturned!

Oops – did you just do something not on your list?
Don’t worry. Just type it in – you’ll get the immediate satisfaction of ticking it off as complete

Are you sure your list couldnt look a little bit better?
You know it can. Get working on a new spreadsheet even better than the first.

Is a list enough?
You dont just need a list – you need a system! Come to think of it maybe you should start researching project management software to improve your productivity…..

If you want to learn to stop frittering away your time and become more productive take a look at our Time Management courses. We’ve recently updated our online courses – all short but focussed (well we don’t want to waste your time!)  with downloadable job aids and tools to help you get started.

Here’s the special offer bit: Usually the courses are £25 per course per person but right now you can save yourself time and money. Buy any one course get the rest absolutely free! Offer ends 31 October 2013.

Here’s the details of what’s included in the courses and the offer:

Time Management e-learning – course details – special offer page

The courses included in this offer are:

• Introduction to Time Management
• Time Management: The Importance of setting goals
• Time Management – Deciding Priorities
• Time Management: Planning and Scheduling
• Time Management: Managing Disruption and Staying Focussed

 

 At this time of the year there are chocolate eggs everywhere. Are you tempted to try something new or do you put your trust in the same old thing every year?

When it comes to training many organisations seem to put all their eggs in one basket and classroom training is usually the default. That’s understandable – it’s what people are used to and no one has to stick their neck out and do something different. But most of our budgets are under pressure so perhaps it’s time to mix things up a bit and spread your risk?  Elearning or online training can reduce your costs, improve access to training and generally give you a lot more flexibility in your training plan. Here’s some Key Drivers for eLearning that our clients have shared with us.

Have a good Easter and I hope you all enjoy the long weekend. Don’t eat too many many eggs now!

Bullying in the workplace is also of course very damaging to adults and the organisations that they work in. In fact bullying is responsible for 30% – 50% of all stress-related illness in the workplace and costs employers up to £2 billion in lost revenue every year.

One of the most widely accepted ways of reducing the risk of bullying is to raise employee awareness and provide appropriate training on how to recognise and address it. Our online course, Preventing Bullying in the Workplace, can play an important part in your anti-bullying strategy by raising awareness and understanding about what constitutes bullying behaviour, what causes it and what can be done about it.

Not many of us would argue against the importance of management skills yet training is often one of the first cuts when budgets come under pressure.  Why should organisations still  invest in Management Skills?

We all know that good managers will get better performance, loyalty and innovation from their team. Senior managers know this too. So why do 43% of managers rate their own line management performance as lacking? Why are more businesses not investing sufficiently in management training? 

The Department of Business Innovation, Skills and Leadership Management Network Group (you can see why they shorten it to LMNG) have produced an excellent report that looks at the evidence for  business performance and growth through good management skills. You can download the report here: LMNG Report: Leadership & Management in the UK – The Key To Sustainable Growth

The report states that some businesses don’t find management training very flexible in terms of  content or delivery and find it difficult to release staff. A separate CIPD report produced recently also indicated that many employers are clinging to outdated training methods. You can read their Learning & Talent Development report for more information.

e-learning and blended learning methods can help you do more management training with less money and in less time. For example Appraisal training can be delivered very effectively with e-learning and a workshop to practice scenerios and discuss key issues with other managers.

Is it time for you to look to more effective and flexible ways to train your managers?

For example, there have been some changes to the UK Asbestos regulations recently – Control of Asbestos Risks 2012. We updated our Asbestos Awareness course to comply with the new regulations and our clients will receive this new course free of charge. It’s also very easy for them to roll out the training – no trainers to organise, no rooms to book, no budget authorisation required.

COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health)
Avoiding Bribery
DSE – Display Screen Equipment
Diversity, Equality & Discrimination
Data Protection Training
Lone Worker and Personal Safety