At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 12 - 18 July 2019
The headlines you might have missed between 12 - 18 July.
Regional productivity gaps at near record high
Workplace Insight: Differences in typical household incomes across the UK’s regions and nations have halved since their 1990 peak, but differences in productivity remain close to record highs, according to new research published by the Resolution Foundation. Read Story.
Public still believe women should take majority of parental leave, finds survey
People Management: Most British people still think mothers should take the lion's share of paid parental leave, a survey of public attitudes has found. Read Story.
Family firms focus more on corporate social responsibility
Workplace Insight: Companies owned by families pay more attention to issues of corporate social responsibility (CSR), such as sustainability and environmental issues, according to research from Vlerick Business School, but the research also found that attention to CSR decreases as the company is handed down to the next generations. Read Story.
Workers want offices that inspire themselves and others
Workplace Insight: New research from Ambius, claims that more than half (56 percent) of Brits have felt what they call office envy after visiting another organisation’s workspace. Read Story.
IT and HR departments should have better communication
HR Review: In a survey carried out by VMware, a software company which assists organisations in becoming digital businesses, it was reported that 80 per cent of employees feel that these two departments, should work more closely together. Read Story.
Having a bad manager linked to heart disease
Health Insurance & Protection: People who have a manager they do not trust have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, a study has warned. Read Story.
‘Healthy lifestyle’ may offset genetic risk of dementia
Health Insurance & Protection: Living a healthy lifestyle may help to offset a person’s genetic risk of dementia, research suggests. Read Story.
Revealed: The happiest UK cities to live and work in
Onrec: Do you feel happy on a daily basis? The UK’s leading independent job board, CV-Library, recently posed this question to the population and found that 58.7% of Brits do indeed feel happy every day, with this figure rising significantly amongst professionals working in Brighton (86.4%), Swansea (75%) and Glasgow (70.6%). Read Story.
A fifth of organisations do not measure employee engagement
Employee Benefits: EXCLUSIVE: The proportion of organisations that do not measure their employee engagement levels has remained much the same since 2018, dropping only two percentage points, according to research by Employee Benefits. Read Story.
Government plans to widen statutory sick pay and improve workplace health
Personnel Today: Plans to offer a sick pay rebate for organisations that effectively help staff get back to work have been revealed by the government today, as part of a package of measures to improve support for employees with long-term conditions or disabilities to remain in employment. Read Story.
Financial wellbeing products ignored by baby-boomers
Corporate Adviser: Baby-boomers are far less likely to see financial wellbeing as a priority in the workplace, according to new research. Read Story.
Impostor syndrome may have serious impact on mental health
Workplace Insight: According to a new study from researchers at the University of Houston, impostor syndrome can have serious consequences for mental wellbeing and can affect people’s personal relationships and home life. Read Story.
More than half provide season ticket travel loans
Employee Benefits: EXCLUSIVE: The most common workplace savings benefit is the season ticket travel loan, provided by 52% of organisations, according to research by Employee Benefits. Read Story.
Automation more likely to affect female workers
HR Magazine: Women are more than twice as likely as men to hold jobs with a high potential for automation, according to IPPR research. Read Story.
Three quarters of whistleblowers ‘retaliated against’ by their employer
Personnel Today: Three-quarters of whistleblowers experience retaliation from their employer including bullying, attempts to destroy evidence and dismissal, according to a group of MPs seeking to strengthen protections for those who highlight corporate wrongdoing. Read Story.
Big jump in employees seeking mental health support: Unum
Corporate Adviser: Figures from Unum show more employees than ever are seeking support for mental health conditions, with this being the condition most people sought help with under its return to work scheme last year. Read Story.
Government to remedy “discriminatory” pension reforms
Corporate Adviser: The Government has confirmed it will review all public sector pension schemes after a Supreme Court ruling that changes made to the firefighter’s pension in 2015 were discriminatory to younger workers. Read Story.
TPR launches re-enrolment tool for employers
Corporate Adviser: The Pensions Regulator has launched a new online tool, designed to help employers re-enrol their staff into a workplace pension more quickly. Read Story.
Quarter of Brits want ‘data death’ when they die
Health Insurance & Protection: One in four (24%) British people would support “data death” when they die, a poll suggests. Read Story.
Rise in employment led by self-employed and older workers
Workplace Insight: As with the last few months, the latest UK employment figures look like a sea of tranquillity. Read Story.
UK employees state what gives them the most joy at work
HR Review: The majority of UK employees seem to be the most happiest at work when they complete a task with no faults. Read Story.
What’s stopping employees from seeing a GP?
London Loves Business: New research conducted by health and wellbeing provider, BHSF, reveals that 69% of employees take more than an hour off work to visit their GP, with one in five needing to take two hours or more off. Read Story.
Businesses will view sick pay proposals as 'burden'
Cover magazine: Many businesses will not welcome the costs of the government proposals which could see two million people on lower earnings made eligible for statutory sick pay (SSP), Canada Life Group Insurance marketing director Paul Avis has told COVER. Read Story.
FCA: Advice boundary ‘almost impossible’ to define
Money Marketing: The boundary of where financial advice starts and information begins is “almost impossible” to define, the FCA has said. Read Story.
Workers' rights body launched
HR magazine: Workers will be given greater protections as a result of the formation of new body according to the government, but details remain unclear. Read Story.
Half of workers want to delay retirement, but don’t think about long-term health
Personnel Today: Half (48%) of UK workers want to delay retirement beyond the age of 65, but many do not think about the long-term health consequences of their lifestyle choices, potentially putting their old age plans at risk. Read Story.
DC master trusts are the most appropriate pension scheme for nearly 60% of employers
Incentive & Motivation: New research from Buck, a leading consulting, administration, and technology services firm specialising in pensions and employee benefits, has today revealed that master trusts are the most suitable defined contribution (DC) pension scheme for nearly 60% of UK employers. Read Story.
Employers should have to ‘opt out’ of offering flexible working, says MP
Personnel Today: Flexible working should be offered by default for any job and employers should “opt out” if a job cannot be done flexibly, according to an MP. Read Story.
One third of businesses choose to fund ongoing employee benefits to motivate, reward and engage staff
Incentive & Motivation: More than one third of businesses (36 per cent) choose to fund ongoing employee benefit commitments such as private healthcare and group risk protection as a way to motivate, reward and engage staff. Read Story.
Pension contributions hit record high
The Actuary: Employer contributions into defined contribution (DC) pension schemes at FTSE 100 companies have reached a record high, research from Willis Towers Watson (WLTW) has uncovered. Read Story.
Demand for pension guidance is growing
FT Adviser: The number of queries received by The Pensions Advisory Service (Tpas) grew by almost a quarter last year, in the run up to it becoming part of the new single guidance body. Read Story.
Training for workers who lose jobs to AI
Fresh Business Thinking: Workers whose jobs are lost to automation and robotics will be retrained under a new government scheme. The scheme will help workers to find a new career and gain new skills as increased automation results in their job becoming obsolete. Read Story.
52% believe a broad range of benefits is best for a multigenerational workforce
Employee Benefits: Employee Benefits poll: Around half (52%) of Employee Benefits readers believe that offering a broad range of benefits is the best way to tailor reward for a multigenerational workforce. Read Story.