At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 19-25 April 2019

The headlines you might have missed between 19-25 April.

Under-resourced workplaces and poor performers driving stress
The HR Director: Workplace stress is on the rise and the biggest drivers of stress are colleagues, new research has found. Read Story.

‘Sandwich generation’ suffer poor mental and physical health
Health Insurance Daily: The so-called "sandwich generation" – those who care for a dependent child and another sick, disabled or elderly adult family member – are suffering poor mental and physical health, research shows. Read Story.

Baby Boomers bottling up mental health issues
HR Magazine: Baby Boomers (those aged 55 and older) are the most likely of all workers to delay or avoid seeking medical help for symptoms associated with mental ill health, according to an intergenerational study by Bupa UK. Read Story.

Employees unaware of messaging app security risks
HR Magazine: A third (33%) of employees have sent customer information via new communication platforms, suggesting a lack of awareness of security risks, research finds. Read Story.

Six out of 10 boost pension contributions with “matching” arrangements
Corporate Adviser: Scheme members are more likely to increase the amount the save each month if pension providers improve their communications and employer offer to match contributions. Read Story.

Men more likely to ask for a pay rise – and get more when they do
People Management: Men are more likely than women to ask for a pay rise at work, research has found, and are likely to receive a larger sum when they do. A survey of 1,200 UK workers by CV-Library found two in three men (64 per cent) were comfortable asking for a pay rise, compared to just 43 per cent of women. Read Story.

Flexible working voted top office perk
Cover magazine: A survey by Adler has found that flexible working is the most wanted workplace perk (48%) among UK workers, preferable to both pension schemes (44%) and performance bonuses (34%). Read Story.

Vast majority of stress not caused by work
Incentive & Motivation: Stress can be caused by numerous factors, but work often isn’t the main culprit, according to The Health Insurance Group. The company runs regular forums for their staff to discuss their mental wellbeing, and life outside work consistently ranks as the biggest cause of stress. Read Story.

UK state pension age reforms set to exacerbate social inequalities
HR Review: A new report from the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) highlights international research from the EXTEND project that confirms that state pension reforms have significant potential to exacerbate social inequalities. Read Story.

Less than a quarter of over-50s are saving for care
FT Adviser: Less than a quarter of adults over the age of 50 are actively saving for care costs, despite nearly 60 per cent fearing they could lose their savings and homes to fund this, according to research from Independent Age. Read Story.

Pensioner reliance on state benefits hits highest level in decades
Cover Magazine: One in six (17%) pensioners in the UK are surviving on the State Pension alone, the highest portion in more than two decades, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. Read Story.

Poor employee health costing UK economy £77.5bn
HR Grapevine: Britain’s workplaces are reportedly costing the UK economy over £77billion per year – or the equivalent of 35.6 work days per employee – in health-related lost productivity, a nationwide survey by Vitality has found. Read Story.

Work experience should be compulsory says FSB
Personnel Today: The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is calling on the government to reintroduce work experience for all school pupils aged 14 to 16. Read Story.

Workplace maternity discrimination rife
HR Magazine: Unfair treatment towards pregnant women and returning mothers is still common in the workplace, according to exclusive research by HR magazine. Read Story.

Companies ‘should send stressed employees on spiritual retreats’
Health Insurance Daily: Companies should consider sending stressed employees on pilgrimage-style “emotional” retreats, researchers have suggested. Read Story.

TPR reveals plans to reduce 'poorly-run' schemes
Professional Pensions: The Pensions Regulator (TPR) is focusing on reducing the number of "poorly-run" schemes as it seeks to improve standards across the board. Read Story.

One in 10 heart attacks ‘could be prevented through targeted check-ups’
Health Insurance Daily: Almost one in 10 heart attacks could be prevented if check-ups were targeted at high risk patients, research has revealed. Read Story.

Two-fifths feel their quality of work is affected by financial worries
Employee Benefits: Two-fifths (41%) of employees believe their quality of work is affected when they are uneasy about the state of their finances, according to research by financial wellbeing provider Salary Finance. Read Story.

Women are happier and more enthusiastic at work than men despite the 17.9% UK gender pay gap
HR News: As more than 10,000 businesses prepare to file their 2019 gender pay gap data, technology-enabled employee services business Personal Group has unveiled research into gender happiness in the workplace. Read Story.

A third of employees take time off work to deal with financial worries
HR News: More than a third[i] of employees claim they have had to take time off work to deal with money issues, new research has found. Read Story.

UK workplace happiness score has dropped below global average
Workplace Insight: UK workplace happiness score has dropped below global average. The UK now ranks tenth globally when it comes to happiness in the workplace. Austria (690), Spain (682), United States (719), France (672) and Germany (675) are all above the UK in rating workplace happiness. Read Story.

‘Asylum migrants’ earn less than UK-born workers
Personnel Today:  People that come to the UK as “asylum migrants” are more likely to be unemployed, earn less and work fewer hours than UK-born workers and other economic migrants, a study has revealed. Read Story.

Government must ‘rebalance’ support for younger people in employment, says House of Lords committee
People Management:  Policy must be rebalanced in favour of younger people in the employment market to deliver better in-work training and lifelong learning to prepare the UK for longer working lives, a House of Lords committee has said. Read Story.

Three-quarters of employees want gamified rewards system, survey suggests
People Management: Over three-quarters of employees would welcome the introduction of a gamified rewards system by their managers, a survey has found. Read Story.

Govt responds to controversial ‘clawback’ consultation
Pensions Age:  The government will not legislate to allow pension schemes to retrospectively apply integration, also known as ‘clawback’, the controversial practice which allows schemes to reduce member payments once they reach state pension age. Read Story.

Workers want physical contact banned at work
HR magazine:  Almost half (42%) of UK workers would like an outright ban on some physical interactions in the workplace, from kissing (27%) to hugs (15%), according to research from Totaljobs. Read Story.

Technology increasing stress at work
HR Magazine:  Almost a third of UK employees (32%) feel that workplace technology increases job stress, research from Willis Towers Watson has revealed. Read Story.

Gender Pay Gap on the Rise, But Companies Continue to Reward Women that Make Decisions like Men
Recruitment Buzz: New research by The Myers-Briggs Company, the trusted business psychology provider, shows that 70% of women in leadership roles use the ‘Thinking’ preference to make decisions in the workplace – a preference that is normally more common with men. Read Story.

The lifetime allowance should be scrapped, says industry
Professional Pensions:  The lifetime allowance should be scrapped and replaced with a lower annual allowance, last week's Pensions Buzz respondents said. Read Story.

Forty per cent of Brits working from home weekly
HR Review: New data shows that working from home is on the rise with 40 per cent taking the opportunity at least once a week and 1 in 10 now working from home full time. Read Story.

Employers ‘must spell out benefits of rehab support to millennials’
Health Insurance Daily: Employers need to be more frank with their younger employees an spell out how benefits that offer rehabilitation support can add real value, according to RedArc. Read Story.