At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 14-20 June 2019

Your quick-read round up of the reward and benefits stories appearing in the press in the past seven days.

The headlines you might have missed between 14 – 20 June.

Majority of Brits prioritise work and money over a social/love life
HR News: Brand new research from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, reveals that the majority of Brits (54.7%) feel work is the most important thing in their life right now, with only 13.8% prioritising their social life and 12.3% their love life. Read Story.

Eliminating sedentary behaviour ‘could save 69,000 lives a year’
Health Insurance & Protection: Eliminating prolonged sedentary could have prevented 69,276 deaths in the UK in 2016, researchers have claimed. The study, published in the BMJ, states there is growing evidence that prolonged sedentary behaviour increases the risk of several chronic health conditions and mortality. Read Story.

UK retirees outlive their savings by a decade, finds World Economic Forum
Professional Pensions: People retiring in the UK will on average outlive their pension savings by 10 years, according to research by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Read Story.

MPs ditch plans to give staff a say on executive pay
Money Marketing: The government has rejected proposals to ensure staff get a say on executive pay. The Times reports that the idea was rejected by government because not all companies would find the move appropriate. Read Story.

Computer downtime is biggest workplace irritant
HR Review: Computer downtime ranks as the most significant irritant in the workplace according to a new survey. The study of employees at 500 UK businesses finds 41 percent naming downtime, ahead of forgotten passwords (23 percent), the lack of parking spaces (22 percent) or stolen meeting rooms (15 percent). Read Story.

Are employee wellness perks undervalued?
HR Review: Research carried out by Perkbox has uncovered UK employers’ most promoted perks to attract young working professionals. When it comes to wellbeing perks, the results are quite surprising, and not in the most favourable light. Read Story.

One in four dads miss out on paid paternity leave
Personnel Today: Almost a quarter (23%) of new fathers did not qualify for statutory paid paternity leave last year, either because they had not been in their job long enough, were in insecure work or they were self-employed, the TUC has claimed. Read Story.

More than a third of over 30s still need financial help from their parents
HR News: When it comes to those who are the most financially stretched, it’s the over 30s who are most likely to ask their parents for help (45%), with one in ten parents admitting to gifting over £21K and one in five gifting over £11K for anything from a first car to a house deposit. Read Story.

Senior managers favour humans over machines when it comes to decision making
HR News: A new study from Headspring, the executive development joint venture of the Financial Times and IE Business School, reveals two in five (39%) UK office workers surveyed believe AI could replace their jobs, despite 58% of those in senior management positions or above saying they trust human decision making over machines. Read Story.

Working abroad has positive effect on employee wellbeing
Corporate Adviser: Corporate culture and working practices are having a negative impact on expat employees wellbeing, according to a new survey from Aetna International. Read Story.

Employees turning to side hustles to make ends meet
HR Magazine: Employees are taking up side hustles to earn more money rather than out of enjoyment, according to research from CV-Library. Read Story.

Make health benefits tax-exempt to increase uptake, retailer says
Personnel Today: Occupational health benefits should be fully exempt from tax to encourage more employers to offer them, a major UK retailer has recommended. Read Story.

Employers underestimate workforce sickness rates
Corporate Adviser: Employers are seriously underestimating the chances of their workforce being affected by serious illness or bereavement in the year ahead, according to new research. Read Story.

Research reveals disconnect between IT and HR over employee experience
HR Review: There is a clear diffusion of responsibility when it comes to shaping employee experience through the use of technology, according to a new research paper from The Economist Intelligence Unit. Read Story.

Majority of SMEs lack a health and wellbeing strategy
Workplace Insight: Majority of small businesses have no health and wellbeing strategyNew research from AXA PPP healthcare claims that eight out of ten (82 percent) SME business leaders don’t have a health and wellbeing strategy in place. Read Story.

Fewer than one in five comfortable with mental health conversations
Workplace Insight: Although around 1 in 7 people experience work-related mental health problems, a new survey claims that fewer than one in five people are confident about discussing mental health issues with colleagues. Read Story.

More than half go direct to a provider when sourcing benefits technology
Employee Benefits: EXCLUSIVE: Methods of sourcing benefits technology have remained relatively unchanged over the past few years, as the most popular recourse is either to go directly to a provider (52%) or via a broker (36%), according to research by Employee Benefits. Read Story.

Organisations risk losing employees by failing to provide recognition at work
Onrec: A new study of HR workers, employees and managers in the UK from global employee engagement company, Reward Gateway, found that over three in five of employees would rather work for a company that had a culture where people were praised and thanked regularly for doing good work, than for a company that paid 10% more but offered no praise or thanks. Read Story.

Brain stimulation treatment for depression comes to UK
Cover magazine: A BSI-certified Class IIa medical device used to treat depression has launched in the UK. The brain stimulation headset and therapy app developed by Flow is the first approved treatment of its kind in Europe and available to buy for home use, however the medical device company is speaking with the NHS to explore the option of making it available on prescription in the UK. Read Story.

Just one day of work per week benefits mental health
Personnel Today: Work is good for your mental health, even if you only do one day a week, according to researchers from Cambridge and Salford universities. Read Story.

Workers look forward to four-day week as technology helps their productivity rise
HR Review: A majority of European workers (57 per cent) believe that technology will bring about a four-day working week in the near future as it improves their productivity and efficiency. Read Story.

British workers struggle to talk to their managers
HR Review: Just under a quarter of British workers (24 per cent) feel there are not enough opportunities to bring up concerns to their manager as well as 32 per cent stating even when they do manage to discuss issues with their manager it does not get addressed. Read Story.

Non-UK staff feel less accepted since Brexit
HR Magazine: Almost one in 10 (8%) non-native workers in the UK have left a job because they felt they didn’t fit in, according to Jobsite. Read Story.

Government scheme offers breathing space to those with problem debt
Corporate Adviser: The Government has launched a new ‘breathing space’ initiative, designed to help those struggling with problem debts and mental health issues. Read Story.

Companies see mental health as key to employee wellbeing
Corporate Adviser: Wellbeing has transitioned from being a niche benefit to a mainstream strategic concern in just three years, according to a new report. The Reward & Employee Benefits Association (Reba) has published their latest annual research into employee wellbeing. Read Story.

Long hours continue to risk mental wellbeing
Workplace Insight: UK employees will be encouraged to leave work early on Friday as part of Go Home on Time Day, a charity initiative promoting healthy work-life balance. This couldn’t be more timely, with new research from Thomsons Online Benefits claiming that 1 in 4 (26 percent) people feel long hours at work prevent them from improving their mental wellbeing. Read Story.

45% think using annual leave to recognise long service encourages engagement
Employee Benefits: More than four in 10 (45%) of Employee Benefits readers believe that annual leave should be used to recognise long service because it encourages employee engagement. Read Story.

Encourage healthier habits among Generation Z, employers urged
Personnel Today: Organisations need to be aware of the health challenges faced by younger employees and the impact this might have on employers in years to come, despite claims that members of Generation Z are “healthier” than previous generations. Read Story.

Workplaces are sexist, claim female managers and HR professionals
People Management: Despite decades of work to tackle sexual discrimination, almost two out of five women in senior positions describe their workplace as “sexist” according to new research released today. Read Story.

Workers expect future 4-day week
Fresh Business Thinking: More than half (57%) of workers across Europe believe that advances in technology will result in a four-day working week in the near future, according to Ricoh Europe. Read Story.

Workplace eye care can save sight
HR News: This Glaucoma Awareness Week Specsavers Corporate Eyecare is encouraging employers to provide regular eye tests for employees, to help with the early detection of the potentially life-changing condition. Glaucoma Awareness Week runs from 17 to 23 June 2019. Read Story.

Productivity patterns: 26% of employees will drop out if a meeting runs over 60 minutes
HR News: Over a quarter of workers (26%) will drop out of a business call or online meeting if it runs over 60 minutes. That’s according to new global research from cloud-based unified communications provider Fuze, which highlights the subtle ways that businesses can reach peak productivity in their workplace communications. Read Story.

Employers focus on wellbeing at work, with 9 out of 10 impacted by workforce ill mental health
Recruitment Buzz: Nine out of ten employers have been impacted by employee mental health challenges, according to a recent poll by JVP Group. Read Story.

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