At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 19-25 March 2021
The headlines you might have missed between 19-25 March 2021.
Covid-19 has affected workplace equality
FTAdviser: Britons think Covid-19 is having a negative impact on gender equality in the workplace, with knock-on effects on pay, pensions and financial health, a study has found. Read Story.
Less than half of businesses have diversity targets in place
HR News: New research has revealed that the majority of businesses are still failing to take effective action to improve their diversity and inclusion, despite growing awareness of diversity issues, particularly in tech teams. Read Story.
Third of ethnic minority workers have been unfairly turned down for a job, research
People Management: One in three ethnic minority workers say they have been unfairly turned down for a job, compared to just one in five (19 per cent) white workers, according to new research by the TUC. Read Story.
Care workers who ‘sleep-in’ not entitled to national minimum wage
Personnel Today: Care workers who sleep at service users’ homes are not entitled to the national minimum wage for the hours they are not carrying out work activities, the Supreme Court has ruled – a landmark decision that is set to have ramifications for jobs where workers are required to sleep at their place of work. Read Story.
Numbers commuting to work goes up despite hybrid working plans
Personnel Today: Over half of employees in the UK travelled to work last week for the first time since last June, according to the Office for National Statistics. During the week up to 14 March, 53% of workers travelled to their place of employment at least once, up from 48% the week before. Read Story.
Income protection interest surges among 25-44 year olds
Cover magazine: New research from LV= has found around 8.3 million of 25-44 year olds in the UK without income protection (IP) cover are potentially interested in taking out income protection insurance to safeguard their earnings. Read Story.
Life expectancy gap shows need for state pension 'rethink' – TUC
Pensions Age: The government has been urged to "rethink" raising the state pension age after figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed a 19-year healthy life expectancy gap between the UK’s most and least deprived areas. Read Story.
Poll: Furlough scheme extension gets thumbs up from 55% of employers
Employee Benefits: Employee Benefits poll: More than half of employers agree with the government’s decision to extend the furlough scheme by a further five months. Also known as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the initiative was expected to end on 30 April 2021. Read Story.
Resolution Foundation finds half of staff saw real earnings slashed last year
Employee Benefits: Claims that weekly pay growth reached its highest rate for two decades in 2020 were too good to be true, according to a think-tank which has found half of all workers actually experienced a pay cut last autumn. Read Story.
Poorer women face widening life expectancy gap
Corporate Adviser: The TUC is calling for the government to delay raising the state pension on the back of new ONS figures showing the widening life expectancy gap between wealthier and more deprived areas. Read Story.
DB schemes failing to factor in Covid death-rates: XPS
Corporate Adviser: Pension schemes are failing to take into account the mortality impact of Covid-19, and could be overestimating liabilities by up to 3.5 per cent, according to XPS. Its Covid-19 Impact Analytics provides a holistic view of the pandemic and calculates some schemes may be overstating liabilities by between 1.5 and 3.5 per cent. Read Story.
Number of single working mums 'locked out' of AE increases by a third
Pensions Age: Nearly half (43 per cent) of working single mums, around 400,000 women, are currently "locked out" of auto-enrolment (AE), according to research from Now Pensions and the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI). Read Story.
Working flexibility is here to stay - even after the pandemic
Insider: Employees and businesses expect far greater levels of flexibility in the workplace on a permanent basis as we emerge from the pandemic, according to new research. The findings are being released today to mark the anniversary of the first national lockdown and the start of a new campaign called #FlexForLife to encourage and support more Scottish businesses commit to greater flex for their workers long-term. Read Story.
Younger Britons are most concerned about the impact of mental health stigma on career options
Business Wire: Morneau Shepell, a leading provider of total wellbeing, mental health and digital mental health services, today released its monthly Mental Health Index™ report, revealing a negative mental health score among Britons for the eleventh consecutive month. The Mental Health Index™ score for February is -13.8, indicating a continued decline in mental health compared to the pre-2020 benchmark. Read Story.
Covid one year on – the state of the nation’s workforce: Axa research
Healthcare & Protection: One year on from the first Covid lockdown, nearly four out of five workers are still working from home, at least part of the time, according to research from Axa. Of those who continue to work from home, six out of 10 (61 per cent) say they expect this to continue beyond the current national lockdown. Read Story.
Six in 10 staff removed from payrolls were under 25
Personnel Today: The number of workers on company payrolls is climbing, but there were 693,000 fewer employees last month than in February 2020 – with under-25s bearing the brunt of job losses. Read Story.
Calls to rethink pension triple-lock after Covid skews earnings growth figures
Corporate Adviser: Pensions experts are calling for the government to rethink plans for the triple lock, after the latest Office of National Statistics report shows annual earnings growth of around 4.8 per cent. Read Story.
Bosses and workers split on when WFH should end
HR News: UK bosses expecting a return of their staff to the office post Lockdown are in for a surprise as almost 4 in 10 employees are “not expecting to return to the office in the foreseeable future” new research released today finds. Read Story.
Long Covid 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.
Finishing early on Fridays most desired perk for employees
Engage Employee: Asking 2,000 people across the UK, a survey conducted by Sodexo Engage, the UK’s leading experts in employee engagement, has revealed the perks employees want the most, and how much of their annual salary they’re willing to sacrifice to receive these benefits. From summer hours, nap rooms, and fertility treatments, employees reveal that finishing early on a Friday is their most desired perk. Read Story.
Lung cancer referrals drop by a third
Occupational Health & Wellbeing: Urgent referrals for patients with suspected lung cancer have dropped by a third over the past year, a study has suggested, with a combination of pandemic-related delays and people feeling reluctant to come forward and get symptoms checked out being largely to blame. Read Story.
Covid-19 causes one in five employees over 65s to delay retirement
Employee Benefits: The impact of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic continues unabated, with research by Close Brothers today (24 February) revealing it has already forced many older workers into delaying their retirement plans. Read Story.
Employees more likely to resist change if it contradicts firm’s traditional values
Workplace Insight: Employees are more likely to resist beneficial organisational changes if they contradict historic firm values according to research from Imperial College Business School. Read Story.
‘Now is The Time’ – Tackling the disability employment gap
Workplace Insight: The CSJ Disability Commission has published “Now Is The Time”, its new report suggesting how the Prime Minister can keep his promise and deliver a truly transformative strategy to greatly improve the employment prospects of disabled people throughout the UK. Read Story.
Seven in 10 hospitalised with Covid-19 still not recovered five months on
Occupational Health & Wellbeing: Seven in 10 people who experienced being hospitalised with Covid-19 have still not fully recovered five months on, according to a UK-wide study into its lasting effects. Read Story.
Employees call for help to reduce cost and environmental impact of working from home
Workplace Insight: New research by environmental charity Hubbub suggests that workers want to almost double the time they work from home compared to life before COVID-19 arrived – from 35 percent to 63 percent of their working week. Read Story.
Fifth of managers consider quitting as COVID burnout strikes
Workplace Insight: More than six in ten UK managers have experienced burnout at work because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a fifth considering quitting their job as a result, according to new research from Benenden Health. Read Story.
Wellbeing strategies could add £61bn to English economy
Workplace Insight: Corporate wellbeing could add £61bn to the English economy by 2025 through added productivity, if UK companies can create new wellbeing strategies and improve underperforming ones, according to a new study by Westfield Health. Read Story.
42% of leisure workers would hide mental health issues
Employee Benefits: As many as 42% of leisure workers would not be honest with their employer about the need to take time off for a mental health issue, a national study has revealed. Read Story.
Number of trans people who hide their identity at work increasing, poll finds
People Management: More transgender people hide their identity at work now than they did five years ago, a new study has suggested, igniting calls for employers to proactively develop policies and practices to ensure trans employees are protected and included at work. Read Story.
Mental Health & Wellbeing 360: 'Don't medicalise normal stress reactions'
Cover magazine: The last 12 months has done much to bring psychological wellbeing into day-to-day discussions, but it has also served to exacerbate an existing trend of medicalising normal stress reactions to adverse events or circumstances. Read Story.