< PreviousAnd finally The world of Frazer Hold your tongue A bit of banter in the office can be a great way to lift spirits, but there are always those who have to ruin it for everybody else, using the label of ‘banter’ to in fact harass colleagues. This has seen the number of UK employment tribunal cases relating to ‘banter’ grow 45% in a year, from 67 in 2020 to 97 in 2021, according to research by GQ|Littler. Lisa Rix, senior associate at the employment law firm, said: “Employees should be wary of making jokes that stray into offensive territory, especially ones which relate to protected characteristics. People should think about how that joke would sound being repeated back to them and whether they would feel uncomfortable trying to justify the comments if questioned about them. If that would feel awkward or embarrassing, best not to say it in the first place. But this doesn’t mean the end of workplace fun: it is possible to make jokes which don’t constitute harassment!” Very wise words. Reimagining the office The future of offices has been up for debate for the past couple of years thanks to the pandemic and the resulting rise in working from home. While many may be contemplating scaling down or reorganising and refurbishing their workspace to meet the growth in flexible working, Tesco is reimagining offices in a completely different way - hiring out space within its stores. The supermarket is piloting a scheme with a flexible office operator that will see client meetings and emails completed alongside boxes of cereal. Frazer is on board so long as he can grab a free meal deal for lunch and proudly announce “meeting in aisle four please” over the intercom. 50 Business Link www.blmforum.net adobe.stock.com/ Catalin Pop Bitter boss Amidst the ‘great resignation’, one employer has shown himself to be a tad bitter after three members of staff handed in their notice. Taking to Reddit, a woman shared a controversial email sent out by her boss, which perhaps indicates why so many people were eager to leave. The email states: “Happy Wednesday. I’m not so happy this morning. Yesterday three of you submitted your two weeks’ notice, all three of you claimed it was because of a ‘better opportunity’, not even thinking about the fact that some of your coworkers have lives outside of this job and CHILDREN.” The barmy message went on to doubt whether the resigners really had better opportunities and to criticise them for affecting their team members’ quality of life by leaving. It continued: “I myself have children and instead of being at their band recital this week I will have to be sitting at work posting job offers on Indeed instead.” As a result of the staff members’ departures, the employer is creating new rules demanding three months’ notice, during which time pay will be reduced. Frazer has a weird feeling the email won’t be brilliant for staff retention. adobe.stock.com/ ArtFamily adobe.stock.com/ Ruslan Gilmanshin 50.qxp_Layout 1 06/06/2022 15:04 Page 1www.geodis.com GEODIS Unit 5, Bridge View Henry Boot Way Hull HU4 7DW Tel: 01482 598550 humber.ff.uk@geodis.com Road Transport Customs Ocean Freight Insurance Airfreight Special Cargo 51.qxp_Layout 1 06/06/2022 15:05 Page 1t (44) 01522 437100 e enquiry@lincolnsciencepark.co.uk Beevor Street | Lincoln LN6 7DJ www.LSIPphase2.co.uk COMPANIES BASED AT THE PARK HAVE ATTRACTED MORE THAN OF INWARD INVESTMENT THEIR WORKFORCE TRIPLED IN 3 YEARS, ON AVERAGE BUSINESSES BASED AT THE PARK HAVE PER YEAR FOR PARK TENANTS AVERAGE GROWTH 130% £13M Science and tech community Managed offices and labs Bespoke design 52.qxp_Layout 1 06/06/2022 15:05 Page 1Next >