At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 12-18th March 2021
The headlines you might have missed between 12th-18th March 2021.
‘Thank God it’s Friday’ – Employee behaviour improves throughout the week
Workplace Insight: Individuals with low mindfulness exhibit more uncivil behaviour at work and are least civil on Monday before improving throughout the week, claims new research from BI Norwegian Business School and Maastricht University. Read Story.
Long Covid-19 could lead to a rise in costly absenteeism if employers are unprepared
HR News: Growing concerns around the number of people suffering from Long Covid should be prompting employers to consider how they might support employees suffering symptoms and manage rising absences, warns Adrian Lewis, Director, Activ Absence. Read Story.
1 in 5 (19%) UK residents are concerned about their alcohol consumption levels during the pandemic
HR News: Our lives have changed significantly during the course of the pandemic, so Health Hub has asked people around the UK how they are now spending their time, what new habits they have developed and if they intend to make any lifestyle changes after the pandemic. Read Story.
Learning and development rises up the agenda during coronavirus
HR Magazine: UK employees are being encouraged to learn new skills to promote team-bonding during COVID-19, according to a new report from LinkedIn. Three-quarters (75%) of UK learning and development (L&D) professionals said community-based learning is more important in their businesses today than it was before the pandemic. Read Story.
Women more likely to give up work after having a baby regardless of earnings, research finds
People Management: Women in heterosexual relationships are more likely than their male partners to sacrifice paid work after they have a child regardless of who was earning more money before parenthood, a study has found. Read Story.
Pandemic increases focus on HR technology investment
Personnel Today: HR technology has increased in importance during the pandemic, according to a survey by XpertHR. Just over 85% of organisations have a formal HR technology strategy in place, or plan to introduce one over the coming 12 months, it found. Read Story.
Thousands of employers interested in rapid Covid-19 tests
Personnel Today: More than 48,000 organisations have expressed an interest in the government’s free workplace Covid-19 testing programme. Logistics firms, manufacturers, food service providers and oil refineries are among the 9,000 that have already completed the sign-up process, which remains open until 31 March. Read Story.
77% of UK adults say that their eyes feel strained after a long day at work
HR News: A new study by Lenstore has analysed digital consumption across 40 countries to identify which devices cause the most harm to our eyes. COVID-19 has radically shifted the way time is spent online. Being connected to friends and family online has never been more crucial to our mental health. Read Story.
Over a third of Brits feel they can’t develop new skills in their current jobs
HR News: Thirty-five per cent of UK workers believe that employers do not provide them with enough opportunities to develop new skills. Less than half (49.9%) of UK staff indicate they can decide for themselves which training courses they may/can attend. Read Story.
Half of staff want mental wellness days – research
Corporate Adviser: Almost nine in 10 home workers have or would like employers to offer access to mental health support, research from Canada Life has found. Research from the provider found that 54 per cent of people working from home would like their employer to introduce mental wellness days, increasing to 59 per cent among women working from home. Read Story.
Vulnerable customers and cognitive ability biggest challenge to financial advisers
Corporate Adviser: The biggest barrier financial advice professionals face when trying to support consumers is being able to openly discuss the nature of an individual’s vulnerability with them, research across Chartered Insurance Institute and Personal Finance Society members has found. Read Story.
Report finds employers failing to consider wellbeing in office returns
Engage Employee Research by law firm Schofield Sweeney has found employers have yet to start making important health and wellbeing adjustments to their workplaces to help staff return to the office. The survey discovered only 39% of businesses had amended or introduced new health and safety policies specifically to deal with the likely increased mental health issues of their employees. Read Story.
One in eight quit work due to ill-health
Engage Employee: A new report by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has revealed the extent to which employees are forced out of the workforce early due to ill-health and lack of employer support. The Ending working lives report, published today (12 March), has revealed one in eight (12%) employees have to cut short their careers because of poor health. Read Story.
Health costs ‘a worry for advised clients’ – Pru research
Healthcare & Protection: Health and social care costs are the fifth biggest worry amongst advised customers, a concern for 14 per cent of people who see a financial adviser. Research from Prudential that looks at the state of advice one year on from the start of the pandemic has found health and social care costs are a bigger worry than debt, a lack of saving and not being able to retire as planned. Read Story.
Employment tribunal cases rise by over 80 per cent
HR Review: From October to December 2020, the number of employment tribunal cases sharply rose, following a well-documented trend of employment tribunal cases spiking in light of COVID-19. Single employment tribunal claims rose by a quarter (25 per cent) to 13,200 in comparison to the same period the year before. Read Story.
Upskilling is a challenge for UK workers within their current role, research shows
HR Review: In a new survey, over a third of UK workers polled felt as though they were unable to develop new skills in their current jobs due to their employers failing to provide them with enough opportunities to do so. Read Story.
Half on furlough report deterioration in mental health
Occupational Health & Wellbeing: More than half of furloughed workers report that their mental health is worse now than it was during the first lockdown last year, according to research that indicates returning to the workplace is as important to the mental wellbeing of those on furlough as knowing they still have a job. Read Story.
Two-thirds of HR leaders plan to continue virtual onboarding after Covid, research finds
People Management: Two-thirds of HR decision makers believe their company should continue interviewing graduates virtually once Covid restrictions ease, research has suggested, with many believing the remote process has improved inclusivity. Read Story.
Half of managers want ability to make Covid jabs mandatory
Personnel Today: The Chartered Management Institute’s poll of 1,050 UK managers indicated that many supported the idea of the “no jab, no job” clause some organisations have been planning to include in their contracts. Read Story.
Quarter of employees are ‘depressed’ a year into pandemic
Personnel Today: The analyst company polled more than 5,000 employees in late 2020, finding that 29% felt depressed. Almost half (49%) had participated in a workplace wellbeing programme where this was offered. Read Story.
Third of workers less motivated since pandemic
Corporate Adviser: A third of workers feel less motivated in their job than they were before the pandemic, with 33 per cent of people say that they are less motivated in the workplace now. Read Story.
Discrimination leaves half of workers missing out on career opportunities
HR Review: In a survey which polled 32,500 people globally, half of employees stated that they faced discrimination at work which led them to missing out on career advancements or training. Read Story.
Employers seek to improve understanding of employee benefits
HR Review: According to research by Aon, a leading global professional services firm providing risk, retirement and health solutions, almost all employers (98 per cent) feel that it is important for their staff to engage more with benefits and health programmes offered at their company. Read Story.
Women taking more board positions in financial services despite pandemic
Corporate Adviser: There has been significant improvement towards gender diversity on the board of financial companies despite the Covid pandemic, with seven out of 10 companies on track, or meeting targets on this issue. Read Story.
Majority of workers dying from Covid received no death in service payment
Corporate Adviser: Group risk providers made payouts to 891 sets of dependents totalling over £93m in 2020, just 11 per cent of all working age deaths – meaning a majority of workers’ deaths saw no employer payouts. Read Story.
Digital workplaces prove key to unlocking frontline employee engagement
Engage Employee: Frontline workers aren’t being given the digital tools they need to succeed, leading to disengagement and reduced productivity, according to an international survey of frontline workers published today by digital workplace innovator, YOOBIC. Read Story.
HR professionals are feeling undervalued with morale low
Engage Employee: HR and benefits professionals are employees too – and according to a new report, it is they who continue to feel undervalued, citing feelings of an ‘us’ and ‘them’ culture with HR being excluded from the top table. Read Story.
One in four employees have had no mental health check-ins during the pandemic, poll finds
People Management: A quarter of employees have had no wellbeing check-ins since the start of the pandemic, a survey has revealed, leading to calls from experts for employers to “catch up” to the mental health crisis. Read Story.
Job security more valuable to employee retention than pay, survey suggests
People Management: Job security is the most important factor for employees when considering remaining with their employer, a poll has found, ahead of both flexible working and pay. Read Story.