Welcome to our first issue of KBzine following our annual break. Unusually, apart from a couple of rainy and windy days, it’s been one of those Summers that has allowed those of us living in England to spend much of the time outdoors and indeed I have written this issue from a temporary office in my garden, to the sounds of birdsong and the breeze rustling through the trees. I feel absolutely blessed but if you’re stuck in an office for most of the day, don’t be too envious because the experts are right about homeworking eating into one’s private life… I’m often swapping emails with PR professionals at all hours of the night and even at weekends, so we clearly don’t stop working at what is considered a conventional time!

One thing we don’t have to do of course is commute, so a report released by Aviva recently is for the rest of you. Aviva says that employees opting to take part in the Government’s ‘Cycle to Work’ scheme, by cycling to work rather than driving or taking public transport, have become more productive. Its research shows that since introducing health-related benefits such as this scheme, 89% of employers saw productivity increase, 88% said employees were more motivated and 83% enjoyed reduced sickness absence. Perhaps now is the time then, with everyone feeling revitalised by the Summer sunshine, to encourage more of your employees to take part so you too can reap the benefits of having a healthier, more motivated workforce…

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Yours,

Jan Hobbs