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​Fatigue Issue 9 - Fatigue and the effects on work​Research reveals that, although the effects are different for different people, when a person is sleep deprived and/or fatigued, performance is affected and errors are more likely, which can increase a worker’s hazard exposure. ​In particular, studies report the effects that can be reduced include: decision making abilityability to do complex planning communication skillsproductivity or performanceattention and vigilance ability to handle stress on the job reaction time - both in speed and thought memory or the ability to recall details response to changes in surroundings or information provided ability to stay awake (e.g., falling asleep while operating machinery or driving a vehicle). ​In addition, it may mean an increase in:tendency for risk-taking forgetfulness errors in judgement sick time, absenteeism, rate of turnover incident rates. ​​Poorly designed shift-working arrangements and long working hours that do not balance the demands of work with time for rest and recovery can also result in fatigue, accidents, injuries and ill health.​Studies have reported that night workers get about 5 to 7 hours less sleep per week than those who work during the day. Sleep deprivation and fatigue therefore pose particular risks for shift-based work, and in safety-critical industries like the railway, with some research studies demonstrating that workers who have had less than 5 hours sleep before work or have been awake for more than 16 hours have a significantly increased chance of making mistakes.​Further, the number of hours awake can be similar to blood alcohol levels, with one study reporting the following: 17 hours awake is equivalent to a blood alcohol content of 0.05 21 hours awake is equivalent to a blood alcohol content of 0.08 24 - 25 hours awake is equivalent to a blood alcohol content of 0.1011. ​Remember the legal blood alcohol content for driving is 0.05 in Scotland and 0.08 in England and Wales.Fatigued shift workers may perform less well than those working standard daytime hours, especially during periods of low alertness. The consequences of this could range from relatively minor events to serious accidents, and the risk of errors, accidents and injuries has been found:​to be higher on the night shift to rise with increasing shift length over eight hours to increase over successive shifts, especially if they are night shifts to increase when there are not enough breaks. ​Signs and symptoms of fatigue to look out for (in yourself and colleagues) include: weariness/tirednessirritability reduced alertness, concentration and memory lack of motivationdepression giddiness loss of appetite y increased susceptibility to illness. ​The lowest levels of performance tend to occur during the period of 03:00 and 06:00 and that many fatigue-related accidents had occurred during the early morning.​If you have any questions regarding the topics covered in our Fatigue series, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our HSEQ team on 0333 011 2048 who will offer you support and guidance.

​Direct Education Business Partnership – DEBP – have joined forces with Ganymede to deliver a Brand Me event with 30 students from Belper School and Sixth Form on Wednesday 17 November 2021 at Derby Conference Centre. The event aims to give students CV writing tips, interview practice and looks at how to use social media to increase skill set and much more! Paul Brumby, Head of Sixth Form at Belper School and Sixth Form said, “We’re delighted to have this excellent opportunity. It will provide students with an invaluable insight into the variety of ways they can present themselves for future employment. The chance to meet face to face with professionals from industry is just the experience they need especially after these difficult times.”  Prior to the event, students will attend a virtual CV guidance workshop and be asked to prepare their own CV. On the day itself students will take part in a:​Critique session on the CV’s created and how they could be improved.LinkedIn profile building session.Session on what makes a good interview followed by interview preparation.Real interviews with staff from DEBP and Ganymede. Claire Bergmann, STEM Projects Officer said, “It has been fantastic to work with Ganymede to pull this event together. I have worked with Kelly Tallis, an active STEM Ambassador, for the last eight months, and her passion to inspire our future generation is clear to see. Meaningful encounters with employers and the world of work are incredibly important, and many students missed out on these opportunities due to the pandemic. This event is a great opportunity for students to develop their skills and confidence to help prepare them for employment.” Kelly Tallis, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Ganymede said, “It has been a real pleasure working collaboratively with DEBP to create and host the Brand Me event. We are passionate about supporting and engaging with our local communities. Young people have really been impacted during the pandemic and it is great that we can share our recruitment expertise to help students to increase their confidence and skills for their next chapter.”  All students will receive a LinkedIn endorsement from Ganymede for the skills they have demonstrated. This not only contributes to the strength of their LinkedIn profiles but increases the likelihood of being discovered for opportunities related to the skills possessed.​

​Ganymede Solutions are excited to announce the launch of our new Managed Service Provision platform, Engage.​Ganymede Engage is the technology platform that drives our Managed Service Provision. ​It centralises all of your recruitment & workforce management functions into one, user-friendly system – minimising time wasted on recruitment processes, and maximising time spent growing your business.​Paul Crompton, Managing Director explains “We invested in Ganymede Engage to provide a technology solution which naturally compliments our recruitment and workforce management offering. Ganymede Engage will provide our clients with complete visibility and control of their recruitment activities and temporary workforce through a cloud based platform, delivering efficiencies and maximising access to the best talent available.” ​Visit our Engage hub to learn more. ​Get in touch ​​

​Fatigue Issue 8 - Network Rail Fatigue Standard​In December 2019, Network Rail published a new standard on Fatigue, it requires compliance by October 2022, which is less than 12 months away now. At Ganymede we have been working towards the implementation of the new standard, making sure our staff and systems are ready for a smooth transition. We have plenty more activities planned over the next 12 months, including hosting some safety stand downs with the workforce to talk openly about fatigue and how to report it.​Fatigue contributes to a great number of accidents and incidents and through better management it is anticipated that this will reduce. Reduced fatigue can also improve staff health, morale and performance. This is why the fatigue standard has been updated.​The new standard uses fatigue triggers to help us manage fatigue more effectively. When these triggers are exceeded (or it looks like they might be), fatigue should be actively managed.​The fatigue triggers are:​Level 1 Fatigue TriggerWorking 60 hours or more in 1 week​​Level 2 Fatigue TriggerWorking 72 hours or more in 1 week​​General Fatigue TriggersWorking day is more than 12 hours longRest period is less than 12 hoursWorked more than 13 consecutive turns of duty in 14 rolling daysDoor to door day length (which includes your commute) is 14 hours or moreWhen a rostered staff member’s FRI fatigue score is 35 or more for a daytime shift or 45 or more for a night-time shiftWhen a rostered staff member’s FRI risk score is 1.6 or more​​Fatigue should also be managed when:Returning to work after long term sickness or absence (including parental leave)A fatigue condition has been identified in an occupational health referralAn employee (or group of employees) request a fatigue assessment or a fatigue management planWorking hours are being amended in relation to reasonable adjustmentsAny circumstances that affecting an employee’s ability to get good quality sleep and rest​The standard can’t list every situation that may cause fatigue, as it’s such an individual experience. It’s important to remember that fatigue should be actively managed whenever it is a concern. For example, returning to work after long term sickness or absence (including parental leave).​Look out for our events over the next 12 months, and if you have any concerns about fatigue please contact your local Ganymede office.​If you have any questions regarding the topics covered in our Fatigue series, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our HSEQ team on 0333 011 2048 who will offer you support and guidance.

​Ganymede are thrilled to announce that we won the Most Effective Compliance Operation award at the Recruiter Awards 2021​Nominated alongside CMA Recruitment Group and TTM Healthcare, Ganymede Solutions were shortlisted in the Most Effective Compliance Operation category at the Recruiter Awards 2021. Taking place on 23rd September 2021 at Grosvenor Hotel in London, we are delighted to announce we successfully won this award. ​Lauren Bradford, Head of Compliance and Assurance says "We are thrilled to announce that Ganymede have won the award for Most Effective Compliance Operation at the Recruiter Awards! Having entered the awards for the first time, we were delighted to have been shortlisted so to win is such an incredible achievement. The team work tirelessly to ensure Ganymede remain compliant and despite the unprecedented circumstances the last year has brought, they have provided an exceptional level of support to the business through their ever-present resilience and ability to adapt. I am extremely proud of the team and without their hard work and commitment this wouldn't have been possible – well deserved Team Compliance!"​​Judges’ comments: “The winners took a proactive approach to compliance, helping them and their clients stay ahead of competition. Impressive internal and external auditing process ensure robust compliance.  They went over and above what would normally be expected.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​Fatigue – Work-Life Balance​It’s important to consider the hours we work, a lack of work-life balance can take its toll in many ways; PhysicallyEmotionally, and financially. ​Not only could it cause a break down in family relationships, it could also impede your work performance.​The Office of Rail and Road recommends 8 hrs of sleep and an hour either side for preparing for sleep and waking up and preparing for the day. This does not consider quality time spent with the family and rest inducing activities. ​This time for rest is a very important aspect of managing your stress and fatigue levels. It is imperative that time is set aside, but far too often, our time at works impedes or wipes out fully the possibility of rest time. ​Don’t ignore the signs.TirednessIrritabilityfractious home relationshipsincreased illnessesstressincreasing list of jobs to do around the housereduced job satisfactionmissing your children's achievements are all signs of work/life balance not being quite right.​The benefits from getting the balance right include;Your health and wellbeing will improve from additional restYou will be more productive because you don’t do your best work when exhausted You’ll be more likely to enjoy your work You’ll have more ‘you time’ You’ll stop missing out on everything other than work You can start or have more time for that hobby you have always wanted to do Home relationships will be strengthened ​Why not take some time to discuss with your family what their needs are: Are they happy with you at work all the time, are there things they would love to do as a family, are there particular jobs that need doing around the house? ​Then ask yourself Do I need to do these additional hours or can I reprioritise aspects of my work?Have I gotten to the point where my commitments mean I cannot live without my overtime? Is this healthy for me?Is there a hobby I would like to take up but do not have the time to do?​​If you have any questions regarding the topics covered in our Fatigue series, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our HSEQ team on 0333 011 2048 who will offer you support and guidance.