Humansolutions Bulletin - August 17th 2021

The destructive and dehumanizing effects of racism are quite rightly receiving increased attention. In this short, introductory text, Neil Thompson welcomes this new emphasis but warns against the dangers of oversimplifying complex issues. This is an ideal book for anyone wanting to understand the importance of anti-racism and guidance in taking the necessary steps. Available from here or Amazon

How to manage a range of pressures is a challenge that we all face. A very worrying (but sadly not uncommon) scenario is when we allow home and work pressures to combine to overwhelm our coping resources. An alternative strategy is that of ‘compartmentalization’. This means training ourselves to focus on our home pressures when we are at home and our work pressures when we are at work and having a clear boundary between the two. Many people achieve this by having some sort of ritual that symbolizes the end of the working day and the return to home life – for example, by getting changed. Different rituals work for different people, but they can all play an important role…

This article discusses the growing presence of police officers in British schools, under a resurgent police–school partnerships policy agenda in the ‘war on gangs’ and serious youth violence. It argues that while efforts to coordinate law enforcement and education implicate schools in general, evidence on race and policing raises concerns about the disproportionate impact of such strategies on black students. Police–school partnerships enhance existing and escalating forms of multi-agency police surveillance and profiling, while also giving officers a greater role in everyday schooling matters. Thus, grassroots anti-racist movements face a developing and dynamic challenge to resist not only the militarised policing of black youth, but also the corresponding weaponization of schools and the wider welfare state. Click here to read…

Awareness of climate change as a serious global issue has dramatically increased in recent years. As a result, sustainability has risen higher up the agenda for organisations and it has become increasingly important for HR professionals to incorporate sustainability into their practices. Click here to read more

The success of workplace mental health efforts depends not just on offering resources and benefits, but actively engaging workers to understand what’s available and how to access help when they need it. However, leaders often find certain workers are “hard-to-reach,” whether because of their role, working arrangements, workplace stress, or other factors. Overcoming those barriers can be the key to meeting mental health needs where they’re greatest. The first step is understanding the different reasons that workers can be hard-to-reach. People in non-traditional work arrangements, such as contract, seasonal, or gig workers, often have irregular hours and may lack strong connections at work. Those regularly outside a traditional workplace, such as truck drivers, traveling salespeople, and even remote workers, may…

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