At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 22-28 February 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 22-28 February.
UK pay growth surges as employment hits record high
The Guardian: The spending power of British workers increased to its highest level in two years in November following the biggest rise in real pay since September 2016. Read Story.
Third of businesses offer no training
Fresh Business Thinking: Nearly a third of businesses in the UK do not offer any professional training or development to their employees, according to the findings of a new study. MPA Group found that a quarter of office workers invest no time in learning skills, and 9% last worked on their professional development five years ago. Read Story.
Two thirds of UK workers irritated by co-worker’s messy desks
London Loves Business: As ‘Tidying Up’ star Marie Kondo’s decluttering crusade on Netflix continues to inspire the nation at home, when it comes to organisation at work, it seems the UK isn’t quite as organised, according to research released today. Read Story.
Managers blame cost of adjustments for reluctance to hire disabled workers
Workplace Insight: Nearly a quarter (24 percent) of UK employers admit they would be less likely to hire someone with a disability, new data from disability charity Leonard Cheshire shows, and over two thirds (66 percent) of managers cite the cost of workplace adjustments as the barrier to employing a disabled person, up from 60 percent in 2017. Read Story.
One in three breastfeeding women forced to express in work toilets, research finds
People Management: One in three breastfeeding women is forced to express milk in bathrooms when they return to work due to lack of suitable facilities, research has found. Read Story.
Two-thirds of the UK have a work enemy
Onrec: In new research released today, Totaljobs has found 62% of people in the UK workforce say they have a colleague they consider to be their ‘work enemy’. Defined as a colleague with whom people struggle to get along with, work enemies are causing many of us to experience difficulties within our place of work and often make it harder for us to switch off at home. Read Story.
Young consumers 'need to consider protection earlier'
Cover: Three quarters (74%) of independent financial advisers (IFAs) believe that younger consumers are considering protection too late in life, while nearly nine in 10 (87%) agree that income protection (IP) is ‘massively undersold', research by Royal London has found. Read Story.
TUC and GMB ‘passports’ to boost disabled people in work
Personnel Today: The TUC and the GMB union have launched an effort to prevent disabled people from leaving their jobs because of employers’ failure to make reasonable adjustments in the workplace. Read Story.
High earning parents urged to check child benefit eligibility
The HR Director: Parents earning in excess of £50,000 are being urged to check their eligibility for Child Benefit due to the recent highlighting of a number of cases where parents claiming the benefit have not been notified by HMRC that they are liable for the High Income Child Benefit Charge, which requires them to pay a tax charge via the Self Assessment system. Read Story.
Businesses urged to review mental health support
Health Insurance Daily: Intermediary The Heath Insurance Group has highlighted five areas to help businesses get on top of the mental health agenda in the workplace. Read Story.
Government urges employers to tackle ‘alarming’ lack of awareness over holiday pay
People Management: The government has launched a campaign to prevent workers being “short-changed” over their holiday pay, as research reveals an “alarming lack of awareness” about entitlement from both employers and employees. Read Story.
Research reveals which UK cities offer the BEST work-life balance right now
Onrec: A new survey from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job site, has revealed that despite 97.9% of Brits believing that work-life balance is important, over a third (37.3%) of the nation’s professionals admit that they don’t have a good work-life balance themselves. Read Story.
Brexit has already cost workers more than a week’s wages
HR Magazine: The vote to leave the European Union has already cost the average worker more than a week’s wages thanks to higher prices, according to research. Read Story.
NHS England survey reveals 'alarming downturn' in staff wellbeing
The Guardian: Two in five NHS staff in England felt sick from the stress of their job at some point last year, according to a survey. Read Story.
London workers are the most ambitious in the UK
London Loves Business: A large majority of professionals in London (60%) cite career development and progression as their number one career priority. This compares with just a third of employees in Scotland (33%), North East (35%), Yorkshire & Humber (40%), and South West (44%) who state that progression is an important part of a job offer. Read Story.
Men are less likely to be stressed by long hours at work, research suggests
Workplace Insight: Men who work long hours are less likely to become depressed than women who have similarly time consuming roles, a study from researchers at University College London and Queen Mary University has found. Read Story.
Calls for employers to ‘take menopause seriously’
Fresh Business Thinking: Employers need to start taking seriously the menopause and the serious negative impacts it can have on women in the workplace, a learning and development consultancy has urged. With the UK workforce ageing, Adaptis says employers can no longer afford to ignore them. Read Story.
Survey suggests that all age groups are similarly motivated at work
Workplace Insight: When comparing the results of 18 – 29-year-olds with other age brackets, we often find that researchers are bending over backwards to find some kind of pattern. Now a new survey a new study from Automatic Data Processing (ADP) finds unsurprisingly, that there is actually little difference between the age groups regarding those who go to work because they like their company and feel that they’re on the same mission. Read Story.
Over half UK employees would leave job for lack of training
HR Review: The importance of providing training to staff has been highlighted in a recent survey. The survey revealed that 56 per cent of workers would leave their current role if their employers stopped providing training, and nearly one-third (31per cent) have previously left a position because of this issue. Read Story.
How much would UK employees pay for a good night’s sleep?
HR Review: A survey of 2,200 British workers was conducted to discover how much they would be willing to pay for a natural night’s sleep when suffering from insomnia. And it turns out that, on average, we’d be willing to spend £72.21 for one night’s worth. Read Story.
Retail workers face highest risk of redundancy
Personnel Today: Retail workers are more likely to be made redundant and endure a significant period of unemployment than workers in any other sector, a report has found. The retail sector’s employment share has fallen by 12% since 2003 as the rise of online shopping, high business rates and dwindling footfall has forced many retailers to abandon the high street. Read Story.
Job-related stress highest among teachers
Health Insurance Daily: Job-related stress is higher among teachers than other professionals, a survey shows. The report by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) found that 20% of teachers feel tense about their job most or all of the time, compared to 13% of similar professionals. Read Story.
How to Improve Wellness in Meetings and Incentive Travel
Incentive and Motivation: In a recent survey conducted by the IRF, the majority of meeting planners (64%) said their meetings are only “somewhat healthy.” The IRF 2019 Wellness in Meetings and Incentive Travel Study reveals the disconnect between companies’ stated goals of wellness as a critical focus and the implementation of health practices in meetings and incentive travel. Read Story.
DWP finds over 50s most likely to opt out of auto-enrolment
Money Marketing: People over 50 are the most likely to have opted out from their schemes according to government research into auto-enrolment. An interim report from the Department for Work and Pensions on auto-enrolment sheds light on how the policy is developing. Read Story.
Baby boomers too risk averse with pension investments
Corporate Adviser: Baby boomers are risk averse and lack the confidence and knowledge to manage their investments, according to new research. Despite the fact that the baby boomer generation – now aged between 55 and 73 – own a third of the UK’s wealth, many report a significant aversion to risk. Read Story.
UK employees reveal their real ambitions
HR Grapevine: Worryingly for HR, almost half of employees wish they could they could start their own business or follow a different career. So, what’s stopping them? Well, according to the Premierline findings, over seven in 10 workers say economic uncertainty stops them from following their dreams. Read Story.
44% of directors have had no training on workplace harassment
HR Grapevine: A shocking 44% of business directors have never had any training at all on workplace harassment, found a study conducted by Navex Global. A further 21% have only received one singular training session, the report revealed. Read Story.
Employers lack formal strategies for common health risks, report finds
Personnel Today: Too few employers have strategies in place to manage some of the most common staff health concerns, including mental ill-health, musculoskeletal disorders and cancer. Read Story.
Auto-enrolment has increased costs for 50% of organisations
Employee Benefits: EXCLUSIVE: Pensions auto-re-enrolment either has increased or will increase costs for 50% of organisations, according to research by Employee Benefits and Barnett Waddingham. Read Story.
19.5% increase in workplace absences as UK employees ‘extend the weekend’ to enjoy sunny February
Employer News: Employees turning up to work is a vital part of any business functioning properly, however, whilst most of us will be disappointed to not be enjoying the irregularly warm February weather. HR software provider, BrightHR can reveal they saw a 19.5% increase in absences logged in their system on Monday and Tuesday (25th and 26th of February) compared to this time last year. Read Story.
Baby Boomers dissatisfied with work/life balance
HR Magazine: Baby Boomers rate their work/life balance as much poorer than younger generations. Almost half (49%) of Baby Boomers (those born before 1965) believe their work/life balance is between average and very poor, according to research from Hays. Read Story.
Firms risk alienating staff with disruption plans
HR Magazine: Organisations mustn't overlook their people when undergoing changes to prepare for the future of work, according to research from Mercer. Read Story.
Can Britain face its fears? 1 in 3 employees would reject their dream job if it meant facing biggest fear
Onrec: The stiff upper lip has long been heralded as a hallmark of British fortitude, however, according to today’s research from UK jobs board Jobsite, the habit of putting on a brave face may be going so far as having a negative impact on our careers. Read Story.
A million public sector workers paid less than living wage, says report
The Guardian: More than 1 million public sector workers in Britain are paid less than the amount required to make ends meet, trapping them in in-work poverty, according to a report. Read Story.
Boost apprenticeship access for women to increase diversity
Personnel Today: The government should remove any barriers preventing young women embarking on apprenticeships, according to a report published today by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Women and Work. Read Story.
Wellbeing strategies need effective communication to engage
Employee Benefits: Exclusive: Employee Benefits Connect 2019: Employers need to invest more into effective communication and engagement strategies when it comes to health and wellbeing initiatives, according to Mark Witte, head of health and risk consulting at Aon, and Sarah Robson, senior communications consultant at Aon. Read Story.
Women losing hundreds of millions in state pension rights
Actuarial Post: Figures published today by HMRC show the sixth successive year in which the number of families on Child Benefit has fallen – the total is now down by over half a million since the ‘high income child benefit charge’ was introduced in January 2013. Read Story.