At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 12-18 April 2019

The headlines you might have missed between 12 - 18 April.

More than three-fifths of UK staff want more financial support from organisations
Employee Benefits: Almost three-fifths (57%) of employees believe organisations should do more to financially support their staff, according to research by workplace short-term finance provider GettaSub. Read Story.

Rise of grey entrepreneurs: 1 in 10 Brits would like to start their own business in retirement
Workplace Insight: Aviva’s Retirement Reality Report claims that for some people retirement is a time when they would like to travel (47 percent), take up a new hobby or continue with old ones (29 percent). However, many think retirement is also a good time to start their own business. That’s according to a survey of 2,010 UK employed adults, aged 22-65 years, conducted on behalf of Aviva by Censuswide. Read Story.

Women overtake men in workplace pensions
Money Marketing: A higher proportion of women are now in workplace pensions than men according to Office for National Statistics figures published today. Read Story.

Ethnic minorities ‘trapped’ in insecure or temporary jobs
Personnel Today: Black and minority ethnic (BME) workers are more likely to be “trapped” in temporary or insecure employment than their white colleagues, analysis has shown, prompting a call for employers to prioritise data collection ahead of any mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting. Read Story.

Snooze, you lose! Report reveals 'damage' of alarm to UK public
Cover magazine:  A report by mental health and neuroscience expert Matt Janes and co-director of the Sleep Lab at Goldsmiths psychology department, Michael Banissy, has revealed that over half of Brits (51%) use an alarm to wake up in the morning - with 82% hitting ‘snooze' at least once. Read Story.

1m workers never take a lunch break
HR Grapevine: Despite all employees being entitled to one uninterrupted break of 20 minutes per six-hour shift, new research by Yell found that a further 1.6million take just a ten-minute break during their working day. Read Story.

Discrimination and mental health issues rife in tech
HR Magazine: High levels of discrimination based on gender, ethnicity and neurodiversity persist in the technology sector, according to research. The BIMA Tech Inclusion & Diversity Report 2019 found that over a fifth (22%) of tech professionals surveyed felt they had been discriminated against in some way. Read Story.

DC pensions poised to overtake DB schemes: ONS
Corporate Adviser: The number of people saving into a DC workplace pension is almost level with those holding DB pensions, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics. Read Story.

Spike in LTA breaches following AE rollout
Corporate Adviser: Since the introduction of auto-enrolment there has been a significant spike in the number of people breaching lifetime allowance ‘protections’ according to new HMRC figures. Read Story.

New research finds that the average Brit will suffer 3 major setbacks in their life
HR Review: A nationwide survey of Brits has revealed as many as 65 percent have experienced something which knocked them off life’s path. And according to the survey, the top three life setbacks suffered are loss of a loved one, which has hit over half (51 percent), illness (42 percent) and heartbreak (33 percent). Read Story.

Jobs to become extinct in ten years
The HR Director: Research by the UK hiring app showed that 2 in 5 Brits are in part-time or freelance roles already, allowing them to pursue lifestyles where they put their hobbies first such as blogging, photography rather than a job. Read Story.

Three in 10 believe that only those in permanent roles are entitled to minimum wage
Employee Benefits: Three in 10 (30%) respondents believe that only those who are employed in permanent job roles are entitled to the national minimum wage, according to research by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Read Story.

The professions most guilty of not giving their eyes a break from the screen
HR Review: New research, found that UK workers are spending an average of 13 hours and 34 minutes a day looking at screens while at work, commuting and at home. Surprisingly, employees are spending an average of 55 hours 36 minutes a month staring at a screen while commuting, when they could be giving their eyes a much-needed rest. Read Story.

Workers dislike their work colleagues even more than their boss
Workplace Insight: Unlikable work colleagues, who are noisy, annoying and even steal from the office fridge top the list of workplace grumbles, according to a survey of 650 UK workers. Read Story.

Government launches ‘mid-life MOT’
Health Insurance Daily: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched a website for middle aged people offering free, impartial guidance on skills, health and finance. The scheme, dubbed the mid-life MOT, aims to help people aged around 45 to 55 to consider their physical health and financial position, now and in the future. Read Story.

Wellbeing initiatives could save UK firms £61bn
Corporate Adviser: UK businesses could save £61bn a year by prioritising health and wellbeing, according to new data from VitalityHealth. The data shows that British businesses lost a total of £81bn in 2018 as a result of employees’ ill-health – an increase of £4bn on the previous year. Read Story.

Do you receive workplace perks? Nearly two thirds of Brits admit they don’t!
Onrec: A study conducted by CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, has revealed that nearly two thirds (65.6%) of Brits don’t receive workplace perks and benefits. This is despite a staggering 84.9% of UK professionals believing that perks are important at work. Read Story.

Workers in declining sectors holding out for redundancy pay
HR Magazine: A third (34%) of UK workers at the sharp end of changing labour demands are waiting for redundancy before switching careers, according to Learning People. Read Story.

Employees fear losing jobs over addictions
HR Magazine: One in five (22%) people in the UK believe their employer would terminate their contract if they disclosed a drug or alcohol problem, according to research from Port of Call. Read Story.

Bad management blamed for sluggish UK productivity growth
People Management:  Poor management practices and lack of investment in skills are among the factors to blame for Britain being the only large advanced economy likely to see a decline in productivity growth this year, experts have said. Read Story.

Understaffing major cause of workplace stress: MetLife UK
Corporate Adviser: Understaffing is one of the major causes of stress in the workplace, according to new research from MetLife UK. Their study found that more than half (52 per cent) of employees said this was the biggest cause of workplace stress, while the same number also blame poorly performing colleagues for creating tension at work. Read Story.

National Stress Awareness Day: What are the UK's most stressful jobs?
Cover Magazine: According to Workwear Giant's Job Quality Index, customer service representative is the sector most likely to report stress - with 2,770 reporting stress levels above the national average level - followed by welfare (2,760), housing association (1,730), legal professionals (1,720) and teaching (1,700). Read Story.

Employees forcing smiles at work 'at risk of heavier drinking'
HR Grapevine: Maintaining a professional demeanour whilst interacting with colleagues is good workplace etiquette, however, the health ramifications for those who consistently put on a ‘happy persona’ at work can be extremely damaging, a new study by Science Daily has found. Read Story.

Businesses told to prioritise health and wellbeing
FT Adviser: Business leaders are being urged to help employees engage with health and wellbeing initiatives available to them at work. The call followed Vitality research that found three quarters of ill-health related absence and presenteeism (working while sick) came from factors such as depression, poor lifestyle choices and stress. Read Story.

Industry gives cautious welcome to upswing in group risk numbers
Health Insurance Daily: News that more than a third of the UK workforce is now covered by group protection benefits has been welcomed by leading industry figures – but there remain concerns that economic uncertainty could restrict even more workers and families from getting access to vital financial cover against ill health and death. Read Story.

UK employees work £3.2 billion in unpaid overtime every week
Workplace Insight: Three workers discuss a project around a tableThe UK is the unpaid overtime capital of Europe. This is according to new research by ADP, which has found that employees are giving away an average of £5,038 of their time every year, amounting to £164.8 billion annually across the working population. Read Story.

Stressed workers think 4-day work week would most help relieve stress
HR Review: As stress levels rise in the workplace, 30 per cent of stressed UK employees think introducing a 4-day work week would be the best way to tackle their stress, according to new research. Read Story.

British workers putting in longest hours in the EU, TUC analysis finds
Workplace Insight: Workers in the UK are putting the longest hours in the EU, according to a new TUC analysis. Full-time employees in Britain worked an average of 42 hours a week in 2018, nearly two hours more than the EU average – equivalent to an extra two and a half weeks a year. Read Story.

Older workers wait 54 days before seeking mental health advice
Personnel Today: Despite two-thirds of over-55s experiencing symptoms of mental ill health, workers in this age group are most likely to delay seeking help – waiting an average of 54 days before getting advice, research has suggested. Read Story.

Women at risk of ‘financial meltdown’
FT Adviser: A large number of women are yet to take responsibility for their own long term financial planning, leaving them at risk of ‘financial meltdown’, Royal London has warned. Read Story.

Mind launches free training for organisations to promote wellbeing in the workplace
Open Access Government: The new, free training is aimed at organisations of less than 250 people to promote wellbeing in the workplace and is available online at the Mental Health at Work website. Read Story.

EU introduces new minimum rights for 'gig economy' workers like Uber drivers and Deliveroo riders
The Independent: The European parliament has approved new minimum rights for workers in so-called “gig economy” jobs such as Uber drivers and Deliveroo riders. Under the EU regulations, casualised employees across Europe will have a right to compensation from their bosses for last-minute cancellation of work. Read Story.

Record number of people in work as UK jobs market shrugs off Brexit
The Independent: The UK jobs market continued to shrug off the effects of Brexit as employers added an extra 179,000 staff between December and February, taking the number of people in work to a record high. Read Story.

Wellbeing programmes have no short-term impact on employee health, study finds
People Management: Workplace wellness programmes that focus on employee health, exercise and productivity have almost no detectable effects on clinical measures of health, a major study has found, with experts saying employers must focus on broader organisational culture. Read Story.

Vast majority of stress not caused by work but home life
Workplace Insight: Stress can be caused by numerous factors, but work often isn’t the main culprit, according to a report from The Health Insurance Group. Read Story.

Two-thirds believe benefits are equal to or more important than basic salary
Employee Benefits: Two-thirds (66%) of employees in the UK believe that the employee benefits offered to them are equal to or more important than their basic salary, according to research by corporate gift organisation Adler. Read Story.

Work-life balance and workload are the biggest drivers of stress
Workplace Insight: Work-life balance and workload are the biggest drivers of stressHalf of today’s workers are stressed by their job with one in five (17 percent) finding their work very stressful, according to new global research from LinkedIn. Read Story.