As mental health and wellbeing have become a challenge in the workplace, there has been a push for employers to prioritise mental health issues in their practices. London-based mental health charity, Mind, campaigns to raise awareness and understanding of mental health struggles, and has released its research of its effect in the workplace. With 15,000 participants across 30 organisations, including Deloitte, HMRC and PepsiCo, the study coincides with the launch of its Workplace Wellbeing Index Awards, a benchmark of best policy and practice in cultivating good staff wellbeing.

A disengaged workforce spells trouble for a company of any size. To combat this, effective leadership plays a distinct role in getting employees on board with an organisation’s vision and nurturing high levels of employee engagement. However, according to London-based internal communications agency, Gatehouse, the biggest challenge facing internal communicators, and wider organisation success, is poor line manager communication skills.

Typically inundated by complex financial data, it’s crucial that company websites convey both a coherent corporate story and investment vision to key investor audiences. However, a worrying amount of FTSE listed companies do not clearly address their investment proposal on their corporate sites, and some don’t even include what their business does on the home page. According to research conducted by Black Sun, a London-based stakeholder communications consultancy, there have been major developments in website responsiveness and video experience, yet there is still a widening digital divide between the best and worst in these corporate sites.

Nowadays, any employee can log into their social media accounts and share information about their workplace, opening the floor to authentic conversation about companies from the inside out. However, often a lack of employee engagement or encouragement prevents them from becoming an active advocate. According to research published by Portland, a global strategic communications consultancy, an employee is a company’s best ambassador.

Women still face underrepresentation in careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as the industry remains largely male-dominated. However, there has been a push to close this gender gap and dispel the ‘masculine culture’ often associated with jobs in these sectors. To address the growing need for female representation in the STEM industry, Getty Images has partnered with Jaguar Land Rover to create more realistic portrayals of women in the workforce.

In a time of tweets and hashtags, anyone with a social media account can join the conversation about a company, widening the traditional PR terrain. Adapting to the digital landscape, modern PR agencies are now focusing on creating engaging multimedia content and optimizing their clients’ social media presence. Searching for new ways to reach audiences, there was a 10% rise from 2016 in the number of industry professionals spending time on strategic planning, according to research published annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR).

Aligning employees with a company’s code of conduct is key to getting the workforce onboard with its vison, while shaping an employer brand from the inside out. However, it’s difficult to engage employees through long dry manuals beyond induction week. Swedish telecommunications firm, Telia Company, recognised this issue and has invested in a more innovative code of conduct to increase employee engagement.

The gender gap in technology fields has been a response to a male-dominated industry, however research indicates that it is only getting worse. The north of England does not escape this widening gender divide, according to Manchester Digital’s recent digital skills audit released in February, and its report also reveals that businesses in the region are struggling to fill technical roles.

In 1770, the Weatherby family became established in the world of horse racing when James Weatherby was appointed as secretary to the Jockey Club in the UK. Centuries later, Weatherbys Bank remains in this position and, although it has expanded its services since then, still preserves the qualities of a traditional family company. Family is at the core of its services, and the bank intends to communicate this brand value by launching a national photography competition for young photographers.