At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 28 June - 4 July 2019
The headlines you might have missed between 28 June - 4 July.
Number of firms with wellbeing strategies doubles in three years
Workplace Insight: The number of UK organisations with wellbeing strategies has increased by 130 percent in the last three years, with over two thirds of employers saying they now have a formal plan in place to support staff. Read Story.
More than a quarter of UK adults do not brush teeth twice a day
Cover Magazine: Health plan provider SimplyHealth has revealed findings of a survey showing that 40% employees had to take time off work to get emergency dental work done during the last year - losing the equivalent of almost a working day (7.5 hours) to attend appointments. Read Story.
Staff take four days off a year for medical appointments
Personnel Today: The average UK worker misses four days of work a year to attend medical appointments, costing their employer more than £400 a year in lost productivity, it has been suggested. Read Story.
‘HR held back by failure to use data effectively’
Personnel Today: Although most HR managers trumpet the importance of data and insight as vital to inform recruitment decisions, about half of UK organisations rely on instinct and gut feel when it comes to assessing skills. Read Story.
Employer funding is the most common method of paying for benefits
Employee Benefits: EXCLUSIVE: For the second consecutive year, employer funding (52%) tops the list of the ways in which benefits are paid for, according to research by Employee Benefits. Read Story.
Why you need to go home on time
LinkedIn: Working long hours is bad for our health. A recent study has shown that long days of 10 hours or more increase our risk of stroke, adding another black mark to the list of issues already associated with failing to switch off, such as poor mental health and weight gain. Read Story.
Becoming active in middle and old age ‘reduces risk of death’
Health Insurance & Protection: Keeping physically active or becoming more active during middle and older age is associated with a lower risk of death, regardless of past activity levels or existing health conditions, a study suggests. Read Story.
Painful periods ‘cost women nine days of lost productivity a year’
Health Insurance & Protection: Painful periods are costing women around nine days of lost productivity at work each year, researchers have calculated. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, found women are coming into work even though they are unwell and are therefore underperforming. Read Story.
People with complex health problems ‘need relationship with same GP’
Health Insurance & Protection: People who have complex health problems need an ongoing relationship with the same medical professionals to get the best outcomes, the Nuffield Trust has stated. Read Story.
App designed by IBE for employees to raise concerns in the workplace
HR Review: The Institute of Business Ethics (IBE) has launched an app today (1st July), the IBE Speak Up Toolkit that helps employees who have decided to speak up in the workplace to raise a concern. Read Story.
Seven in 10 cite engagement as the main issue driving benefit strategy
Employee Benefits: EXCLUSIVE: Seven in 10 (71%) respondents see driving employee engagement as the main issue influencing their benefits strategies, according to research by Employee Benefits. Read Story.
More than a third believe they perform better when working from home
Employee Benefits: More than a third (38%) of respondents believe that they perform better when they work from home, according to research by cleaning organisation Cleanology. Read Story.
UK workers feel that technology is creating a divide in the office
HR Review: Technology is causing a divide in our workplaces, with just under half of UK employees worried that less tech literate workers will become ‘shut out’ unless they embrace the latest technology conversation, collaboration and digital project management tools. Read Story.
Four FTSE 250 firms still have all-male boards
Personnel Today: The UK’s biggest companies are being urged to keep up the pace to meet the 33% target for women on boards by next year, but there remains four all-male boards in the FTSE 250. Read Story.
New job or pay-rise can 'trigger' protection conversations
Cover magazine: With triggers for protection conversations happening later in life, advisers should reconsider the needs of consumers, Royal London report suggests. Read Story.
40% ‘not interested’ in pensions
Money Marketing: Around 40 per cent of workers are “not interested” in their pensions or had failed to pay in, new research suggests. Read Story.
Age UK calls for Nest to offer retirement products
Corporate Adviser: Pension freedoms could lead to another major financial scandal, thanks to a dearth of advice on retirement options, coupled with a lack of innovation from the pensions industry. Read Story.
Self-care needs more prominence in the workplace to build mental health resilience in staff, says RedArc
Employer News: The starting point for mental health support in the workplace is to enable employees to cope on their own, and for that reason RedArc believes that employers need to ensure that the focus for promoting mental wellbeing is on self-care. Read Story.
Half of employers predict pay rises of between 2% and 3% for 2019
Employee Benefits: Just under half (48%) of respondents predict they will deliver pay rises of between 2% and 3% for 2019, while 32% anticipate they will have a pay review budget of between 1% and 2%, according to research by management consultancy Paydata. Read Story.
Employment tribunal system struggling to cope
HR Magazine: Research from the Employment Lawyers Association (ELA) has painted a “bleak picture” of employment tribunal delays. Read Story.
LGBT+ staff earn on average £6,700 less than straight workers
People Management: LGBT+ professionals in the UK face a sizeable pay gap when compared to their straight counterparts, according to a new survey which experts said pointed to an ongoing lack of inclusion in workplaces. Read Story.
Employee health is key reason to offer benefits for 83% of organisations
Employee Benefits: EXCLUSIVE: For the second year running, supporting employee health and wellbeing has been identified as the main reason employers offer benefits, according to research by Employee Benefits. Read Story.
Mental health issues acts as barrier to Gen Z graduates to dream job
HR Review: Just under one fifth of Generation Z graduates say that mental health issues are posing as a barrier to achieving their dream job. Read Story.
British workers do not enjoy staying in hotels for business trips
HR Review: British employees are now less inclined to go on business trips, with the main reason for dreading them is poor accommodation at hotels. Read Story.
8 in 10 Millennial's reject the traditional office space
HR Grapevine: While it may not seem like a major barrier in sourcing younger talent, all 80% of respondents say that being shackled to an office desk actively affects their decision when choosing a new job, whilst 67% of respondents added that they’d leave their job for a more flexible schedule. Read Story.
Roadmap encourages employers to tackle ‘lifetime’ gender inequality
Personnel Today: Action needs to be taken by individual organisations and at a sector-wide level to close the gender pay gap and improve gender balance in some occupations, the government has said, as it unveils a package of measures to tackle “lifetime” gender inequality. Read Story.
Research highlights employers need to adapt pensions comms for multi-generational workers
HR News: To better engage multi-generational workers with workplace savings and pensions, employers need to understand the different attitudes and mindsets towards finance and savings of different age groups, according to a new report, ‘Managing the Gap, Achieving success with intergenerational teams’, from workplace savings company, Punter Southall Aspire. Read Story.
CII calls on industry to back women's finance initiative
FTAdviser: The Chartered Insurance Institute has called for more insurance professionals to become an Insuring Women’s Futures ambassador. Read Story.
Workers prepared to quit over badly-designed offices
Tech Radar Pro: New research from Dell has revealed that UK businesses are putting productivity at risk with poor workplace design. Read Story.
Holiday over promotions: employees value a break over a higher title
HR Review: Holiday allowance for British workers is deemed more important than a pension plan or the chance of a promotion when looking for a new job. Read Story.
Majority of UK workers don’t have access to occupational health
People Management: The majority of UK workers do not have access to occupational health (OH) services, a report has found, prompting calls for more investment into healthcare in the workplace. Read Story.
One third of over-55s will work part-time in retirement to make ends meet
People Management: One third (31 per cent) of UK employees aged 55 and over expect they will need to work part-time in their retirement to make ends meet, research has revealed, prompting experts to urge employers to ensure their workforce is adequately preparing for the future. Read Story.
Companies need to be more honest about their employer brands
HR News: New research from pre-hire assessment specialists, ThriveMap, reveals that 32% of employees have left a job because the culture wasn’t what they thought it would be when they joined the organisation. Read Story.