At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 24-30 May 2019
The headlines you might have missed between 24-30 May.
One in eight people are unhappy at work
Workplace Insight: The UK workforce is increasingly held back by mental health problems such as stress, depression and anxiety. According to a study of 23,000 full and part time workers by Robert Half UK, more than one in eight (13 percent) UK employees are unhappy at work, accounting for more than 4.3 million people. Read Story.
Nearly half of all UK SMEs believe technology is more important to their business than people
HR Review: New research reveals that 46 per cent of small business owners believe technology is more important to their business than people. Read Story.
Staff want employers to declare a climate emergency
HR Magazine: Research finds firms could lose talent if they don't address environmental concerns, as a separate study calls for the working week to be shortened to cut emissions. Read Story.
Workers expecting to be fit to work past 68
Mortgage Introducer: Workers expect to be physically capable of doing their jobs until beyond the age of 68, beyond the age they can start claiming the State Pension even when it is extended to 67 by 2028, research from AIG has revealed. Read Story.
Parents suffer at work for caring for sick children
Actuarial Post: New research from MetLife UK shows parents are paying the price for taking time off work to look after sick or injured children in the shape of extra costs, cancelled holidays, unpaid leave and increased stress. Read Story.
Maps funding for dashboard implementation totals £8.2m
Pensions Age: The Money and Pensions Service (Maps) has a total of £8.2m in funding for the implementation for the non-commercial pensions dashboard, Pensions Minister Guy Opperman has revealed. Read Story.
More than half feel that fathers are treated equally to mothers in their workplace
Employee Benefits: More than half (56%) of fathers believe they are treated equally to mothers at their organisations, according to research by online community lifestyle platform Daddilife and professional services firm Deloitte. Read Story.
UK economy worse off by £270bn per year due to workplace discrimination
The HR Director: After surveying and interviewing young people in the UK (18-25-year-olds), a report from grad recruiter Debut found over a third (35%) of participants are put off joining a business if they perceive the workforce to be made up predominantly of middle and upper-class employees – extrapolated out this equates to 2.5 million young people. Read Story.
Wellbeing rather than growth should be focus of government policy
Workplace Insight: Personal wellbeing rather than economic growth should be the primary aim of government spending, according to a new report from the from the all-party parliamentary group on wellbeing economics which urges a complete change in thinking from ministers. Read Story.
NINE-HOUR work week could save the planet
HR Grapevine: New research from think tank Autonomy has indicated that Brits should work just nine-hour weeks to save the planet – The Sun reports. The study revealed that switching to a nine-hour schedule per week would help keep the country on track to stall more than 2C of global warming. Read Story.
Half of employers’ fear diversity creates a challenging work environment
The Global Recruiter: Robert Walters research has found almost half of employers (41 per cent) say that a diverse workforce can make collaboration more challenging. Whilst three quarters of companies (73 per cent) state that diversity encourages creative and innovative thinking, they also claim that it is these differences of opinion that can be difficult to manage. Read Story.
On your bike Britain: A staggering number of Brits won’t cycle to work
Business Mole: Despite the government pouring £1.2 billion into cycling*, new research has revealed that it is still only a slim few who are cycling to work, with many citing nervousness about cycling in traffic as the reason. Read Story.
Number of over-70s in work doubles
Workplace Insight: Record numbers of over-70s are choosing work over retirement, according to new analysis from Rest Less, a membership community site in the UK to offer work and volunteering opportunities specifically targeted at the over 50s. Read Story.
Majority of workers think their workplace is unpleasant
Workplace Insight: Many of the UK’s workplaces are unpleasant, uncomfortable and at risk of driving down productivity, according to a new survey from Aspect.co.uk. Read Story.
Think tank calls for free personal care for over-65s
Health Insurance & Protection: A think tank has called for free personal for over-65s, which could be funded by a 2p income tax increase. The proposal, by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), would bring England into line with Scotland, where such care has been free since 2002. Read Story.
Comprehensive cover now makes up 42% of IP purchases
Health Insurance & Protection: Comprehensive cover accounted for 42% of income protection (IP) purchases by UK consumers in 2018, according to GlobalData. The data and analytics company’s report suggests job security concerns pushed consumers to favour comprehensive cover over just unemployment or accident and sickness. Read Story.
Employees ‘still hiding mental health issues from colleagues’
Health Insurance & Protection: More than half (54%) of working adults who have experienced mental health issues have hidden their problems from co-workers, a poll shows. Read Story.
Happiness at work is a ‘sorry state of affairs’
The HR Director: A benchmark happiness survey sees a slide of almost 20 percent in three years, in terms of workplace happiness. It’s a sorry state of affairs –as UK employees feel disengaged, disgruntled and dissatisfied at work. Read Story.
Enhanced maternity pay does not discriminate against fathers, says landmark ruling
People Management: The Court of Appeal has ruled that it is not discriminatory for employers to enhance maternity pay while only offering statutory pay to workers on shared parental leave (SPL). Read Story.
New rules on day release will encourage employers to work with offenders
People Management: The government has announced plans to relax prison day-release rules in a bid to create more opportunities for offenders to train with employers while serving their sentences. Read Story.
Cash-strapped Brits work longer hours but struggle to make ends meet
Onrec: Brand new research from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, reveals that despite 64% of Brits working more hours than they’re contracted to, over half (55.1%) struggle to make ends meet at the end of each month. Read Story.
Women expect to have £100,000 less pension savings than men
Pensions Age: Women expect to have nearly £100,000 less in pension savings than men when they reach retirement age, according to research from Brewin Dolphin. Read Story.
Employers improve pension communication
Pensions Age: The number of employers providing their employees with information on their pensions has increased significantly over the past three years, according to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Read Story.
People 'living online' are 'risking' mental health, say addiction experts
Cover magazine: According to the Office for National Statistics' annual Internet Users in the UK 2019 report, 99% of adults aged 16 to 44 years used the internet recently, while 95% of all adults aged 16 to 74 have been online. Read Story.
Group PMI ‘most valued’ employee benefit
Corporate Adviser: New industry data highlights the value of PMI to both employees and employers, but shows unwillingness of providers to disclose full market information. Read Story.
Corporate cash plan market grows by 50 per cent in two years
Corporate Adviser: There has been a 50 per cent increase in the number of employees covered by corporate cash plans, according to a landmark new report published by Corporate Adviser Intelligence. Read Story.
Smoking-related illnesses and fag breaks ‘cost UK £12bn a year’
Health Insurance & Protection: Smoking-related illnesses and fag breaks are costing the UK economy £12bn every year, a study claims. This is despite the number of people smoking having fallen from around 11 million to nine million in the past eight years. Read Story.
Employee benefits set for digital overhaul as businesses look to drive workforce engagement and attract new talent
HR News: Benefits and rewards provision in the UK is set for a significant overhaul in the next five years as employers embrace new technologies in an effort to reverse ailing employee engagement and retention rates and overcome worsening skills shortages. Read Story.
Flexible working can boost productivity levels: Vitality
Corporate Adviser: Long commutes are impacting employee health and costing UK businesses an estimated £5.3bn a year in lost productivity, according to new research. This research, from Vitality, found that the average UK employee has a daily commute of 43 minutes each way. Read Story.
Businesses planning ‘blanket approach’ to IR35, says survey
People Management: More than half of UK businesses are considering taking a ‘blanket approach’ to forthcoming IR35 changes because they do not have time to assess cases on an individual basis, according to a survey of employers which raises concerns many are not sufficiently prepared for a new tax regime governing contractors. Read Story.
Burnout officially recognised as an illness
HR Grapevine: Today, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed that it will recognise the growing issue of corporate burnout as a medical condition, meaning that as of 2020, it will officially be identified in the International Classification of Diseases. Read Story.
Overtime and productivity are out of step, poll finds
HR News: Regularly working more than contracted hours is not leading to an increase in productivity accordingly to a poll out today from ICSA: The Governance Institute and recruitment specialist The Core Partnership. Read Story.
80% of office workers use makeshift solutions to fight aches and pains at their desk
HR News: New research released today has revealed that 80% of UK office workers have spent money on their own makeshift solutions to make their workstations more comfortable, with one in five admitting spending over £75 on their own equipment. Read Story.
1 in 3 commute for longer than 90 minutes daily
HR Grapevine: A new survey by Office Space In Town has confirmed that for one third of the workforce, over 90 minutes [commuting time] per day is standard. The survey polled more than 1,000 UK workers on how the time they spend in traffic or on a train impacted them at work and in their home life. Read Story.
Proportion of workers in low-paid roles at a 40-year low
Personnel Today: The government is on track to eliminate low pay by the middle of the next decade, analysis has found, after the proportion of workers in low-paid roles last year fell to its lowest since 1980. Read Story.
LifeSearch: Nearly half of Brits 'self-medicating' mental ill-health
Cover magazine: A study by LifeSearch has found that 45% of over 16s in the UK are ‘self-medicating' their mental health issues, while six in 10 (60%) said they have done so in the past. Read Story.
More than half of UK employees admit to stealing corporate data
IT PRO: Almost half of office employees in the UK say they would be willing to sell corporate information to a third party, according to research. Deep Secure's The Price of Loyalty report found that insider threats were responsible for 28% of 2017's data breaches, up from 25% in 2016. Read Story.
Nordic nations best for expats' digital lives
Re:locate magazine: The globally mobile community has assessed Nordic countries as the world's best for digital communications, according to a new report. In the 'Digital Life Abroad' report, the expat social media network InterNations looks at the digital experiences of more than 18,000 respondents in 187 countries. Read Story.