In July Personnel Today.com reported that UK employers lost an estimated £168million a day in productivity in the heatwave and The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) estimated that work levels dropped by almost a third when temperatures soared to more than 30 C.
In direct contrast to the rest of the UK, however, Chess’ absenteeism stats decreased as the temperature soared, with the July figure standing at just 0.79% absent.
It is part of the Chess culture to help provide a healthy, pleasant and safe place to work and, despite a few minor disagreements over what is a pleasant temperature, Chess’ air conditioning system has evidently helped with this.
Chess’ Director of HR & Quality, Anne Binnie, was delighted with the statistics. “It is testimony to the commitment and values inherent in all Chess people, as well as to the effectiveness of our new air-conditioning system,” she said. “Our Chess values are fundamentally important to the future success of our business and caring for our people is paramount.”