At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 11-17 January 2019
The headlines you might have missed between 11-17 January.
Brexit uncertainty affecting access to talent
HR Magazine: Two-fifths of businesses (39%) are finding that uncertainty around Brexit is directly affecting their ability to access talent, according to research from Guidant Global. Read Story.
57% of employers support staff at retirement using online modelling tools
Employee Benefits: EXCLUSIVE: Financial education and awareness campaigns have seen huge leaps in popularity since 2017, according to research by Employee Benefits and Barnett Waddingham. Read Story.
A fifth of workers couldn’t cope if they lost their pay rise
Health Insurance Daily: Employees upgrade their lifestyle just six weeks after an income boost. Read Story.
Health not cost is main reason why Brits quit smoking
Health Insurance Daily: More Brits are stubbing out their cigarettes for good in a bid to improve their general health and wellbeing, a survey shows. Read Story.
Lack of appreciation is causing people to leave in droves
The HR Director: More than a third of ambitious workers are dissatisfied in their current jobs, citing poor relationships with their managers and a lack of development opportunities as the reasons they’re planning to seek new jobs, according to The Institute of Leadership & Management’s latest survey. Read Story.
‘Always on’ employees are more engaged but also more stressed
People Management: Employees who are ‘always on’ tend to be more engaged at work but also report greater stress and poorer work-life balance, according to research being presented at the British Psychological Society (BPS) today. Read Story.
Good managers shown to play a crucial role in enhancing worker performance
Workplace Insight: Employers make extensive investments in their employees; investing in hiring and retaining workers that match the firm’s needs. Now new research summarized by Kathryn Shaw, Stanford University, USA suggests that the hiring and training of good bosses may carry even more weight when it comes to workers’ performance. Read Story.
Two thirds of managers are not receiving D&I training
People Management: CMI warns businesses are ill-prepared to close ethnicity pay gap, while experts say learning opportunities alone are not enough. Read Story.
Bosses to ban unhealthy snacks from the office
HR News: Many of us will be familiar with the sight of an office desk groaning under the weight of cakes and biscuits brought in by well-meaning colleagues – but some bosses have declared they will ban the unhealthy treats from workplaces. Read Story.
Early pay in December leaves workers five times more likely to rely on credit in January
HR News: New research from Hastee Pay has found that workers in the UK and Ireland are five times more likely to use high-cost credit in January compared to December as workers are left to endure a five or six-week wait for their January pay packets. Read Story.
Childcare main barrier for unemployed parents
Personnel Today: According to a survey commissioned by budget hotel chain Travelodge, 59% of mums and dads who want to return to work struggle to find jobs that fit around their school run. Read Story.
MPs want tougher reporting requirements on gender, ethnicity and executive pay
Personnel Today: A survey of MPs by the Association of Accounting Technicians found that around a quarter “strongly agreed” that there could be stricter requirements on employers to break down their pay, while 46% agreed. Read Story.
Two-fifths predict employee engagement will be greatest challenge in 2019
Employee Benefits: Two-fifths (40%) of employer respondents believe that engagement will be one of the most challenging agenda items in 2019, according to research by human resources software organisation Cascade HR. Read Story.
UK faces continued employment inequality
HR Magazine: High levels of employment have benefited low-income households and disadvantaged groups but led to higher job insecurity among young people, according to the Resolution Foundation. Read Story.
Government-led taskforce publishes employer guidance on championing flexible working
Employee Benefits: A government and employer-led taskforce focusing on encouraging flexible working has today published guidance for organisations on how to champion flexibility. Read Story.
Top in-demand roles for 2019 revealed
The HR Director: Analysts, accountants and digital marketing specialists top a list of in-demand roles in 2019, as employers focus on navigating an increasingly digitalised business landscape and a shortage of key skills among the UK workforce. Read Story.
Flexible working has plateaued, study finds
Personnel Today: The number of people using flexible working arrangements has flatlined since 2010, despite the right to request flexibility being extended to all employees since 2014. Read Story.
Workplace productivity plummets during January
Workplace Insight: Around a quarter (26 percent) of British workers believe that January is their least productive month with the nation still recovering from the Christmas period, according to a new report from Hitachi Capital Invoice Finance. Read Story.
A third of under 35s feel too self-conscious to join a gym, new survey says
The Independent: A third of 18-35 year olds feel too self-conscious to join a gym, according to a new survey. Read Story.
Line managers key to unlocking hiring process improvements
HR Magazine: Hiring managers must be fully aligned with their organisation’s goals if they are to provide a strong candidate experience during the hiring process, according to TALiNT Partners’ 2018 Good Recruitment Benchmark Report. Read Story.
Employment minister: Poor progress for workers with disabilities
HR Magazine: The UK has been successful in increasing employment levels but progress has been slow in helping more disabled people into work, according to Alok Sharma, employment minister and MP for Reading West, speaking at the launch of the Resolution Foundation’s latest report. Read Story.
Two-fifths would feel more positive about their employer if offered an annual bonus
Employee Benefits: Two-fifths (40%) of employees would feel more positive towards their organisation if they were offered an annual bonus within their benefits package, according to research by Canada Life Group Insurance. Read Story.
Brits reveal what their ideal job would look like
The HR Director: According to a new study from the UK’s leading independent job board, CV-Library, Brits are after a flexible London-based education job, in a company with less than 250 people, which pays £25,500 per year! Read Story.
Workers urged to top up state pension now to avoid cost rise
Actuarial Post: People thinking about paying voluntary National Insurance Contributions to fill past gaps in their contribution record are being urged to do so before 6th April by pensions experts. Read Story.
A third more patients waiting over 18 weeks for elective care
Health Insurance Daily: The number of people waiting longer than the 18 week target for elective care has risen by over one third in the last 12 months, official figures show. Read Story.
Only two-fifths of employers offer at-retirement support
Employee Benefits: EXCLUSIVE: Only around two-fifths (39%) of employers offer at-retirement support, according to research conducted by Employee Benefits and Barnett Waddingham. Read Story.
2.3 million working Brits think about handing in their notice every day
The HR Director: Deciding to leave your job is a huge decision to make, but it’s a common thought for many as they embrace the new year, new job mantra. However, new research has found that over 2 million Brits think about quitting their job every day (7%). Read Story.
Flexible working mothers more likely to work the most unpaid hours
Workplace Insight: Flexible working is supposed to be a boon to working parents, but it seems it’s not without its disadvantages, as a new academic study has found that part-time working mothers who have the ability to control their own schedule often end up working an increased amount of unpaid overtime. Read Story.
Employers must act to avoid workplace ‘crisis’ among carers
People Management: Two-fifths of ‘sandwich carers’ unable to work as much as they would like, says report, amid financial and mental health struggles. Read Story.
State pension court showdown set for summer
Money Marketing: A judicial review about changes to the state pension age for millions of women born in the 1950s will take place from 5 to 6 June. Read Story.
FTSE companies urged to appoint more women leaders
Incentive & Motivation: A government-backed review has urged FTSE 350 companies to do more to meet the target of a third of women in senior leadership positions by 2020. Read Story.
Single parents are largest underutilised talent pool in UK
Incentive & Motivation: Single parents are the most underutilised major pool of talent in the UK, with almost 200,000 unemployed, according to a new labour market analysis. Read Story.
47% of businesses look internally to bridge dire skills shortages, survey reveals
Incentive & Motivation: Almost half of business (47%) believe that developing staff internally will be their greatest opportunity from a talent management perspective over the next three years. Read Story.
Coaching on the rise - Nearly 40% of millennials now coached during work hours
Onrec: Research conducted for the Sky Betting and Gaming Workstyles 2019 report*, indicates that there has been gradual growth in those receiving coaching at work, with 33% of Baby Boomers (age 54-72) saying they’ve been coached during working hours, 37% of Generation X (38-53)and 38% of Millennials (18-37). Read Story.
Global changes having 'profound impact' on mental health
Cover Magazine: Rising geopolitical and geo-economic tensions are the most urgent risk in 2019, it was announced by the World Economic Forum today. Read Story.
Employees who work from home can’t switch off
HR Review: A new survey reveals that home workers struggle to switch off, and this could be negatively affecting their work-life balance. Read Story.
Differences in reporting on ethnicity pay must be recognised to repeat gender pay success
Onrec: Unless key differences with gender pay issues are recognised, there is a ‘significant risk’ that reporting ethnicity pay levels could be ‘counterproductive’, according to the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) in its response to the UK Government’s consultation on ethnicity pay reporting. Read Story.
Workers urged to sit less to cut risk of early death
Health Insurance Daily: Workers should reduce the time they spend seated to lower the risk of premature death, researchers say. Read Story.
Around two-thirds say contributory pension schemes are their most valued benefit
Employee Benefits: Around two-thirds (62%) of respondents state that a contributory pension scheme is one of their top five most valued benefits, according to research by global advisory and brokering organisation Willis Towers Watson. Read Story.
Employers ‘continuing to treat women who have children as a burden’
People Management: Many employers are continuing to treat women who have children as a “burden”, according to industry experts – but a significant number of “enlightened” businesses are offering enhanced parental leave packages that go far beyond minimum requirements. Read Story.
Quarter of UK workers have turned down a job for not offering flexible working
Workplace Insight: A new study from communications technology business TeleWare claims that a growing number of employees are turning down jobs that don’t offer some form of flexible working. Read Story.
Small business owners work 17 days’ overtime per year
HR News: Small business owners in the UK work an average of 2,366 hours per year in order to make their business a success, compared to 1,950 for an average UK employee, according to new research* by Opus Energy. Read Story.
Feeling the chill? Nine out of ten UK office workers lose productivity due to unsatisfying office temperatures
HR News: As workers across the country make their way through the cold winter months, flexible office specialist Workthere has conducted research into the age-old office temperature debate. According to this research¹, 89% of UK office workers lose productivity if the temperature isn’t quite right, with employees claiming cold office temperatures cause them to be the most unproductive (46%). Read Story.
8 out of 10 UK workers rate access to personal development above a salary increase but expect employers to foot the bill
HR News: Employers have been emphasising the value of a ‘learning culture’ in their organisations and encouraging workers to commit to training and development programmes for many years. Now, the penny seems to have finally dropped, with a ‘growth learning mindset’ well embedded across all segments of the country’s workforce, according to new research from UK personal development and soft skills e-learning specialists, Good Habitz. Read Story.
Poll: Around a third cite employee wellbeing as the key driver for their 2019 benefits strategy
Employee Benefits: Around a third (30%) of respondents cite employee wellbeing as the key driver for their organisation’s benefits strategy in 2019. Read Story.
Third of UK employees feel unqualified for their jobs
HRReview: A third of UK workers (33 per rcent) don’t feel qualified for their current job and more than half (53 percent) don’t think their co-worker is either. Read Story.