Top 10 stories from this week: Don't knock reward, benefits and diversity collaboration
By its nature, diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) is a puzzle made up of many different and varying parts and isn’t the entire responsibility of one team. In an interview with Sky News about how to potentially make staffing cuts in the civil service, Rees-Mogg said that dedicated diversity and inclusion officers “don't do anything useful”, and that diversity is “the job of people making employment decisions”.
Meanwhile, new research by Towergate Health and Protection found that only 22% of employers target benefits to specific demographics in their workforce, while 49% said they would like to, but found the process too complicated. This is where collaboration between DEI professionals, benefits and reward, HR and recruitment can be vital and will ultimately feed into any recruitment, talent and retention strategy – which should always be diverse and inclusive by design.
If Rees-Mogg’s statement that the responsibility of diversity should fall solely on recruitment, talent and HR’s shoulders were correct, then reward strategies such as equal pay, and benefits targeted at specific groups would lose their impact on DEI through lack of joined up thinking across teams. To counter his point, diversity officers, especially when in collaboration with reward and benefits professionals, do plenty of useful things.
For more reward and employee benefits news you might have missed this week, read our top 10 snippets below:
Rees-Mogg slams diversity officers as "by the woke, for the woke"
HR Magazine Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has criticised the diversity officers in the civil service, suggesting they have little impact on the workforce. Read more
Only 22% of employers target benefits to specific demographics
Employee Benefits Less than a quarter (22%) of employers target benefits to specific demographics in their workforce like age, lifestyle and risk factors, according to research by Towergate Health and Protection. Read more
Number of Disability Confident job adverts rises by 1,000 per cent, but experts say improvement is still needed
People Management Although flagship government scheme is seemingly improving access to work for disabled people, industry figures say more is required for true inclusion. Read more
Four in five employers would hire for potential as skills shortage continues to bite, survey shows
People Management Research also reveals majority of candidates would apply for roles they are underqualified for. Read more
Pressure is on employers to adopt flexible working conditions
HR News With the arrival of the first peak travel season since the beginning of the pandemic, a new survey reveals Millennials and Gen Z would be more inclined towards companies with hybrid options. Read more
80% of employers offer no support with breastfeeding
Personnel Today Research, commissioned by Peppy, found that nearly two thirds of employers (63%) offer support for new parents, but specific support for infant feeding is only offered by 18% of employers overall. Read more
Employees who practice mindfulness are more likely to think their job is stimulating
Workplace Insight Employees who practice mindfulness are less bored at work and less likely to quit, according to a new study. Read more
UK launches new pension scheme to boost retirement options
HR Magazine The UK government has unveiled a new pension scheme to provide workers with more options for their retirement funds. Read more
HMRC anticipates billions underpaid in employment taxes
HR Magazine HMRC suspects large businesses have underpaid their Employers’ National Insurance contributions to the tune of £1.4 billion, according to law firm Pinsent Masons. Read more
Cost of living exposing savers to more scams, TPR warns
Professional Pensions The regulator has set out a new scams strategy and is calling on the industry for ideas. Read more
Only quarter of employers offer emotional support and tailor benefit
Healthcare and Protection Only one in four employers are offering emotional support such as counselling to employees, while a similarly small proportion of organisations tailor their benefits to specific workforce demographics, studies have found. Read more
