Top 10 stories from this week: Remote work is not the enemy

The research claims that the pandemic has caused many to live a sedentary lifestyle and exercise less, adding that working from home is exacerbating the issue. Remote working has come under fire recently, as the Prime Minister admitted to being unproductive and eating cheese while working at home, and Lord Sugar criticised PwC workers for being “lazy”.

Ironically, prior to this outcry, working long hours in the office was also seen as detrimental. If you can remember the life-size model of an office worker, called Emma, you will see how the tide has turned. 

But employee benefits and wellbeing programmes targeted at a hybrid workforce could motivate positive change. Organisations should champion overall wellness as part of their benefits offering, as hybrid working is not the enemy. 

Indeed, the option to work flexibly benefits so many who have been disadvantaged both pre and during the pandemic, such as working mothers, carers and those with disabilities. Give people enough time to adjust to this new way of life, alongside the tools to improve their overall wellbeing, and the rest will fall into place. 

For more reward and employee benefits news you might have missed this week, read our top 10 snippets below.

Remote work as dangerous as smoking to health of UK workers

HR Magazine Working from home is as dangerous to the health of UK workers as smoking, according to new research from private healthcare company Bupa. Read more

53% of employers offer an electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme

Employee Benefits A fifth (21%) of respondents to an online survey conducted by Employee Benefits Magazine said they do not provide a scheme of this kind, while a further 26% said they were considering implementing one. Read more

UK staff want to prioritise health more than their career

Employee Benefits More UK working adults said that they want to make health a top priority compared with prioritising their career, at 89% and 51% respectively, according to the Bupa Wellbeing index. Read more

Real wages drop as unemployment continues to fall, official figures show

People Management Data also reveals there are now fewer unemployed people than job vacancies for the first time since records began. Read more

Employers ‘running out of steam’ on pay rises as talent shortages continue, CIPD finds

People Management Experts urge firms to focus on revising their benefits offerings as report reveals less than a third expect to increase wages to attract new hires. Read more

A third of employers do not offer early parenthood support and are vulnerable to losing staff

HR News Nearly two thirds (63%) of employers say they offer early parenthood support, according to new research from Peppy. Read more

One in 3 employees aren’t comfortable discussing issues at work

HR News Over a third of the nation’s employees don’t feel comfortable opening up about their mental health issues and concerns to anyone at work, a new survey shows. Read more 

Competition for talent is fierce, but employers edge away from pay to attract people

Workplace Insight New CIPD research claims that almost half (45 percent) of UK employers report having vacancies that are hard-to-fill, and almost two thirds (65 percent) anticipate problems filling vacancies in the next six months. Read more

Low-risk pension transfers halted due to guideline flaws

Corporate Advisor Low-risk pension transfers are being needlessly halted due to a weakness in the rules, according to new data from the Money and Pension Services. Read more

28% of employees considering leaving their job this month

HR Review According to research by WorkL, 28 percent of employees are considering resigning from their current role this month. Read more