At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 26-31 March 2021

Your quick-read round up of the reward and benefits stories appearing in the press in the past seven days.

The headlines you might have missed between 26-31 March 2021.

Long Covid ‘huge unidentified issue for employers’ to drive surge in claims
Healthcare and Protection: Long Covid looks set to be a huge issue for employers as employees physically return to work, warns Steve Herbert head of benefits strategy at Howdens Employee Benefits and Wellbeing. Read Story.

Mental health challenge for 70% of young employees
Employee Benefits: Younger generations want their employers to focus far more on the mental health challenge they are facing, according to new research by social purpose strategy firm Purpose Union. Read Story.

Employees embrace al-fresco working
Employee Benefits: With the clocks going forward an hour this Sunday (28 March), the promise of long balmy evenings beckons. But now it seems employees are springing into the season with a desire to be outdoors and embracing al-fresco working. Read Story.

Remote working one year on: three in four employees feel worse
Engage Employee: Remote workers are still struggling with distracting working environments, stress and an ‘always-on’ culture after a year of working from home, new research has revealed. Egress’ Remote working: one year on report found that three-quarters of remote workers reported feeling worse as a result of long-term working from home, with almost over one-third (39%) feeling more stressed. Read Story.

Almost half of organisations won’t track employee COVID-19 vaccination status
Workplace Insight: A Gartner, Inc. survey of 227 HR leaders on claims that nearly half (48 percent) of large global organisations will not track the vaccination status of their employees. Only eight percent of survey respondents reported that they will require employees to show proof of vaccination. Read Story.

2020 shifted HR's priority from recruitment to wellbeing
HR Magazine: In 2019, the top priority of HR leaders was cited as recruitment and retention, yet by the end of 2020 it shifted to employee health and wellbeing. According to a new report by HR and payroll software provider Natural HR, the top priorities for HR departments in 2021 are mental health (73%), health & wellbeing (68%) and flexible working (60%). Read Story.

UK drawing up plans for Covid-19 certificates for office workers
City AM: The UK is reportedly weighing up plans to launch Covid vaccine certificates for white collar workers, which could allow people to go back to the office in large numbers later this year. Read Story.

Quarter of employers not implementing social distancing in the workplace, research finds
People Management: A quarter of businesses are still not implementing social distancing in the workplace, a survey has found, as experts urge employers to take all reasonable steps to protect those returning. Read Story.

Coronavirus rapid home test kits to be made available for employees
HR Review: In an expansion of the scheme rolled out at the beginning of March, the Government has now announced that home testing kits will be made available for companies where on-site testing is not possible. Read Story.

‘Mental mindset’ key to financial wellbeing – research study
Corporate Adviser: Five out of six people are in a position to improve their financial wellbeing by changing their mental mindset, according to new research from Aegon. Read Story.

Homeworkers could sue employers who neglect mental health support
Corporate Adviser: Businesses have been focused on the logical challenges of working from home, rather than employees mental health, according to new research from Gallagher. Read Story.

Women have up to 45% less in their pension pots than men at retirement
Employee Benefits: A new report by Barnett Waddingham has revealed a stark gender disparity in wealth at retirement, with women having between 25% and 45% less than men in their pension pots when they retire. Read Story.

Workplace Covid testing extended to smaller employers
Personnel Today: The government is to extend its employer coronavirus testing scheme by offering free testing kits to companies with more than 10 employees. From 6 April, smaller employers in England will be able to access lateral flow tests. They must register by 12 April and the kits are free up until 30 June. Read Story.

Four in five firms report employees testing positive for Covid-19 at work
HR Review: Of a survey of over 2,000 safety representatives, over four in five stated that employees had tested positive in the workplace. According to a new report by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), there have been widespread safety risks regarding coronavirus in workplaces. Read Story.

Errors in pay force younger workers to rely on high-cost credit to afford food
HR World: A third of 16-24-year-olds in the UK and Ireland have struggled to afford food over the last year because of mistakes or late payment of their wages, according to new research. Read Story.

Employees quitting jobs in record numbers due to toxic workplaces
HR Magazine: Almost a third (27%) of UK employees quit their job in the past year due to toxic workplace culture, according to HR software provider Breathe’s Culture Economy 2021 report. Despite the pandemic's negative impact on the job market, this was an increase of 6% from 2019 (21%). Read Story.

HR asked to introduce new domestic abuse policy following rise in cases
HR Magazine: There was a rise of domestic abuse cases in the first lockdown, demonstrating the need for HR to introduce better policies to protect its employees while working from home. According to the Office of National Statistic, the police recorded 206,492 domestic abuse-related cases between March and June 2020, a 9% increase compared with the same period in 2019. Read Story.

Employee buy-in crucial to digital transformation success
Workplace Insight: Facilities management businesses are failing to keep their workforce at the heart of their digital transformations, leading to employee dissatisfaction and hindering the success of digitalisation initiatives, claims new research by Nexer, in partnership with applied futurist Tom Cheesewright. Read Story.

UK workplaces are not institutionally racist, commission finds
Personnel Today: UK organisations are not institutionally racist and diversity has increased in key professions such as law and medicine, according to a government-commissioned review. In fact, the UK “should be regarded as a model for other white-majority countries”, according to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, which was set up in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests last year. Read Story.

Group protection usage hit by data privacy fears
Employee Benefits: New research has suggested that slower-than-anticipated uptake of some group protection benefits may be due to data privacy fears. According to a study by Legal and General, 19% of staff questioned who had access to employee assistance programmes (EAPs) revealed that privacy concerns were a barrier to usage – a figure that rose to nearly a quarter (23%) among women. Read Story.

Employers urged to ‘drive change with confidence’ with new CIPD race at work guide
People Management: Businesses are being urged to “play a key role in levelling the playing field” and improve the ethnic diversity of their workforces with the help of new CIPD guidance, released today (31 March). Read Story.

Women discriminated against at work for starting families
HR Magazine: Employers are discriminating against women who may go onto have children, according to new research by women’s charity Young Women’s Trust. The research found one in ten (10%) HR managers said they would be reluctant to hire a woman they thought may go on to start a family. Read Story.

Lack of menopause support at work pushing women to resign
HR Magazine: Nearly half (45%) of working women with menopause consider retiring or taking a break from work, yet employer support could help keep them in the workforce. According to new research by employee experience platform Circle In, almost half (48%) of menopausal women have struggled with a drop in confidence at work, and 46% felt stressed by having to hide their experience. Read Story.

HR directors reporting lines revealed by survey
Corporate Adviser: In the majority of US companies, the most senior HR executive now reports directly to the chief executive or company owner according to new research by XpertHR. The survey — of US-based employers — showed that HR officials now have a direct line into the senior level of an organisation. Read Story.

Minimum wage 2021 increase: What new UK National Living Wage is from April, and who is eligible for it
iNews: Rishi Sunak used his Budget announcement to raise the national minimum wage to £8.91 an hour, confirming the change would come into effect from April. Mr Sunak also announced a raft of additional support for people and businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, including an extension to the furlough scheme, a continuation of the £20-a-week Universal Credit uplift and a fifth self-employment grant. Read Story.

Almost half of the workforce considered leaving their employer this year
HR Review: A new Microsoft survey identifies the various elements that employers need to be mindful of if they are to retain talent during the transition to hybrid working. According to a new survey conducted by Microsoft, almost three-quarters of workers (73 per cent) want flexible remote work options to continue post-pandemic. Read Story.

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