2 Merseyside Police Officers named in Queen's Birthday Honours

MERSEYSIDE Police Chief Constable Andy Cooke QPM has congratulated 2 Officers after their recognition in the Queen's Birthday Honours. The Officers are: -

► Detective Constable Tracy O'Hara has received the Queen's Police Medal for Distinguished Services to Policing.

► Neighbourhood Sergeant David Whalley has received the Queen's Police Medal for Distinguished Services to Policing.

Andy Cooke QPM, said:- "I congratulate both Officers on such major honours. They reflect how highly we regard them and how much we appreciate their commitment to the people of Merseyside. It is wonderful to see professional and passionate Police Officers recognised nationally for their services to the community in such a prestigious way. Over the years I have been humbled by the ‘can do' attitude of the Officers and their commitment to providing the people of Merseyside with a professional Police service.  They all have the utmost respect of their colleagues, and demonstrate their tenacity, integrity and professionalism on a daily basis.  Everyone in Merseyside should be proud of them as their work and conduct reflect so well on us all."

So long, social! Workers' bid to restore work life balance

TECHNOLOGY in the workplace continues to be a hot topic, but according to a recent survey by CV Library, the UK's leading independent job board, 74.5% of workers in Liverpool don't use social media whilst at work, and of those that do, the majority (57.1%) will only do so for up to 15 minutes.  The study surveyed 1,200 workers on their opinions around technology in the workplace, and whether it is a distraction or an enabler to professionals. Interestingly, the survey found that despite 55.6% of professionals in Liverpool admitting that they use smart phones while they're at work, the majority (76.8%) do not use technology to do personal tasks during work hours. Other key findings revealed:-

► 26.8 % of workers in the City admitted to taking time out of their working day to contact friends or family on the phone, however, of those, the majority (73.3%) would only do so for a maximum of 15 minutes.

► 45.5% said they would not check personal emails whilst at work.

► 76.8% would not waste time browsing the internet and looking at irrelevant sites during work hours.

Furthermore, the study found that 62.5% of employers in Liverpool have rules in place regarding the use of technology for personal use, and for the majority (57.1%) this means they cannot use their phone at work. A further 20% said they are not allowed to use social media and 11.4% are not allowed to surf the internet during work hours. Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library comments:- "With new technologies always emerging and access to emails and shared working spaces from almost anywhere, the lines between our work and our private lives are becoming increasingly blurred. It is therefore very positive to see that professionals in Liverpool are being careful not to spend their working hours doing personal errands or making calls; drawing a more definitive line between their work and home life. By ensuring your work hours are spent dedicated to staying on top of your workload, you can leave work behind at the end of the day and enjoy your free time as you please."

The survey also found that the majority (85.7%) of professionals in the City think that using technology at work is beneficial. When asked why they felt is it useful to them, respondents said that it enables them to connect with customers and clients from all over the world (25%), enables them to work from different locations (22.9%), saves time (20.8%) and helps them to communicate with people in real time (18.8%). Biggins concludes:- "It's clear that technology is both important and useful to Liverpool's professionals, enabling them to work remotely and connect with people all over the world. That said, it's important that workers stay focused when using these technologies. The odd 15 minutes here and there may be passable, but if you find yourself falling behind as a result, or having to put in overtime, it could be time to ditch the tech and focus on a healthier work life balance!"