At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 23–29 July 2021
Here are the headlines you might have missed between 23-29 July 2021.
DWP rejects calls to require reporting of work-related stress
Healthcare & Protection: The government has dismissed calls to require businesses to report long term sickness due to stress as a health and safety issue. It said doing so would not be appropriate because “stress is not always work-related but can be connected to many other issues outside of the workplace”. However, the current list of diseases which must be reported includes various types of cancer, Lyme Disease and Tetanus which can also be commonly contracted outside the workplace. Read Story.
Only a tenth of global businesses are front-runners in inclusion and diversity practices
Workplace Insight: Ninety percent of global businesses struggle with inclusion and diversity practices within their technology/ IT teams according to ‘The key to designing inclusive tech: creating diverse and inclusive tech teams’ report by the Capgemini Research Institute. Read Story.
Up to claimants to provide discrimination evidence, Supreme Court rules
Personnel Today: A claimant making an allegation of discrimination at an employment tribunal must provide evidence to show they were discriminated against in the first instance, the Supreme Court has ruled. Read Story.
Three-quarters of police admit to wellbeing difficulties
Personnel Today: Policing the UK over the past 18 months of the Covid pandemic has led to three-quarters of officers experiencing mental health and wellbeing difficulties. A Demand Capacity and Welfare Survey report by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) of more than 12,000 officers found that 69% of respondents reported that their mental health had been affected by “work-related difficulties”. More than half of these (58%) cited heavy workloads as a key factor. Read Story.
Older workers at risk of being ‘thrown on the scrap heap’
Workplace Insight: In face of growing skills gaps in the UK – post pandemic and Brexit – City & Guilds Group is urging businesses to stop the silver talent drain from the workforce by investing in upskilling valuable older workers – or risk further productivity shortfalls during the recovery period. Read Story.
Seven in 10 disabled women report being sexually harassed at work
HR Review: New research finds that close to seven in ten women with disabilities say they have been sexually harassed at work. A new study by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) reveals that over two-thirds (68 per cent) of women with disabilities report experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace. Read Story.
UK employees least motivated to work from home
Employee Benefits: UK employees working from home are finding it more difficult to stay motivated compared to their European counterparts, according to recent research. The survey, commissioned by enterprise management cloud specialists Workday and carried out by Yonder Consulting, spanned nine European countries and interviewed more than 2,000 employees in each country. Read Story.
78% of organisations use salary sacrifice for workplace pensions
Employee Benefits: More than three-quarters of organisations use salary sacrifice for workplace pensions, according to the latest Employee Benefits research. Salary sacrifice schemes allow employees to agree to reduce their earnings by an amount equal to their pension contributions and, in exchange, the employer then agrees to pay the total pension contributions. Read Story.
38% feel wellbeing support improves productivity
Employee Benefits: One in ten employers don't believe in supporting employee wellbeingOver a third (38%) of people who have been working from home throughout the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic feel wellbeing support has increased their productivity. Read Story.
HR warned over employees’ use of private cars for business trips
Personnel Today: Employers across Europe have been warned over the risks of allowing employees to use their own cars for work purposes, as people continue to avoid using public transport and demand for business travel grows as the economy gets back into gear. Read Story.
More workers added to self-isolation exemption list
Personnel Today: The list of workers in England exempted from self-isolation if ‘pinged’ has been expanded further to include people employed in prisons, defence, veterinary medicine, energy and frontline emergency services, among other critical sectors. Read Story.
MPs consider how to tackle menopause discrimination
Personnel Today: A group of MPs will scrutinise legislation and workplace practices to see whether more can be done to stamp out menopause-related discrimination and support women to stay in work longer. The Women and Equalities Committee’s inquiry will look at whether further legislative requirements are needed to better support employees who experience the menopause and it will report on how policies can be shaped in order to improve gender equality. Read Story.
St John Ambulance calls on employers to step up mental health support for workers
Workplace Insight: St John Ambulance is calling on employers to respond to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on workers’ mental health as it launches courses in how to talk about it with employees. Read Story.
Four in 10 adults gained weight during pandemic
Occupational Health & Wellbeing Plus: More than four in 10 adults in England have put on weight over the course of the pandemic, prompting a new government campaign to encourage physical activity and healthier eating. Public Health England (PHE) found that 41% of 5,000 adults polled had put on weight since the first lockdown in March 2020. Read Story.
Labour launches plan for a single status of ‘worker’
Personnel Today: A single status of ‘worker’ for all but the genuinely self-employed should be created, says the Labour Party. The party today announced a proposal for a single status of worker to replace three existing employment categories – employee, worker and dependent contractor (ie not genuinely self employed) – and would effectively end insecure gig economy employment. Read Story.
Young employees feel forgotten by bosses
HR Magazine: Young workers are feeling isolated after spending 18 months working from home due a lack of communication with their employers. A new report from software company Advanced found one in four employees aged between 18 and 24 have been working in their bedroom while living at home or isolating in a flat or house share with strangers. Read Story.
One in 10 Brits taking out PMI to avoid NHS wait times
Healthcare & Protection: One in 10 Britons have taken out private medical insurance (PMI) due to increased NHS waiting times even more acute in Northern Ireland where 21% reported taking out PMI. LifeSearch’s latest Health Wealth and Happiness Index showed vast numbers of people were avoiding undertaking routine tests and proceedures because of the coronavirus. Read Story.
Four-day working week case study: Arken
HR Magazine: Software service provider Arken has successfully moved to a four-day working week after finding staff were happier and just as productive working these hours throughout the pandemic. Following a nine-month trial, the firm has now confirmed a four-day week for all of its full time staff. When asked at the end of June how they would rate productivity since the switch, 76% said they felt more productive than before and 19% said they felt just as efficient as when they worked five days. Read Story.
Plans for a new single status for workers don’t cover everyone, says lobby group
Workplace Insight: IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) has responded to the UK Labour Party’s proposal for a single worker status saying that although it is welcome the party is attempting to clear the confusion around worker rights, the party’s proposals fail to grasp the nettle of employment status. Read Story.
Covid worries cause 13m UK adults to miss health check-ups
Cover Magazine: Despite greater confidence in the NHS, millions are still anxious about seeking healthcare due to ongoing concerns over the pandemic, Lifesearch finds Over 13 million people in Britain have avoided seeking routine check-ups in the past six months due to persisting concerns over Covid. Read Story.
67% of Businesses Consider Remote Workers to Be Disposable
Engage Employee: 67% of supervisors and business leaders consider remote workers more easily replaceable than onsite workers, according to a poll released today by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Read Story.
Firms continue to underestimate employee turnover threat, study claims
Workplace Insight: A new study from communications agency Zeno Group claims that businesses continue to underestimate the chances of an increase in employee turnover as a result of changing attitudes towards work. Read Story.
Labour would legislate on flexible working
Personnel Today: Labour has said it would widen the definition of flexible working and make it mandatory so most employers would have to accommodate it – if it were to form the next government. Shadow secretary for the future of work Angela Rayner announced that the party would make flexible working the default for organisations for which it was applicable. She said this would help ensure “Work fits around people’s lives instead of dictating their lives”. Read Story.
COVID Changed Worker-Employer Relationships
Engage Employee: According to a new report, employee expectations have been permanently changed by the pandemic. A new report from consultants Deloitte has highlighted the ways organisations must respond to changed worker expectations in the face of COVID-19. Read Story.
Millions of UK employees trapped in low paid and insecure work
HR Magazine: The Living Wage Foundation (LWF) has found 12% of the UK population, around 3.7 million people, are in low paid and insecure work. The campaign organisation's analysis of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Family Resource Survey (FRS) found millions are earning less than the Real Living Wage (£10.85 per hour in London, and £9.50 elsewhere). Read Story.
British women face gender pension gap at all stages of their career
HR Review: New research has found that at all stages of their career, British women face a gender pension gap that rapidly grows with age. Data from Legal & General (L&G) pension scheme members shows that women have lower pension pot sizes in all age brackets, with the situation dramatically deteriorating as they approach retirement. Read Story.
Mothers’ earning fall by almost half after giving to first child
HR Review: New research finds that working mothers are subject to a “motherhood penalty”, facing earnings that are around 45 per cent lower relative to what they would have earned if remaining childless. A new study conducted by University College London reveals that women earn almost half (45 per cent) of what their salary would have been without having children, in the first six years after giving birth. Read Story.
Watchdog pressures companies to ensure two fifths of board members are women
People Management: The FCA’s proposed new rules could come into force by the end of this year but experts warn against an ‘add women and stir’ approach. The UK’s financial watchdog has proposed changes to its rules that would require listed companies to ensure at least 40 per cent of board directors are women or self-identify as women. Read Story.
‘Scandalous’ umbrella companies should be banned, urges TUC
Personnel Today: The government should ban the use of umbrella companies to employ workers, the TUC has said, amid fears that their use could increase as organisations scramble to plug vacancies with agency staff. Read Story.
Differing global vaccine programmes create challenges for employers with overseas staff
Workplace Insight: The situation across the world is at hugely differing stages with regards to the Covid pandemic. Many employees have been abroad throughout the pandemic and more will now be going overseas as lockdown in the UK eases. Read Story.
Inclusive workplaces will be focus of new disability strategy
Workplace Insight: A new strategy from the UK government promises more inclusive workplaces, easier commuting and better job prospects for millions of disabled people. The strategy sets out 100 immediate commitments supported by £1.6bn of funding alongside an ambitious agenda for future reform. Read Story.
Half of SME employees want flexible working to improve overall wellbeing
Corporate Adviser: Almost half of those working for SMEs put recognition and flexible working at the top of their wellbeing needs. These were highlighted in the Legal & General Group Protection’s ‘Welling at Work Barometer’. Read Story.
Employees choosing emergency funds over protection products
Cover magazine: Research from Close Brothers finds UK employees are more likely to rely on emergency funds than take out protection products. The Expecting the unexpected: a spotlight on preparing for a crisis report, based on a survey carried out on behalf of Close Brothers by Opinium of 2,000 UK based employees, found three quarters of employees having an accessible emergency saving pot compared to just 6% of UK employees who have income protection. Read Story.