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07 May 2021
by Annie Makoff

At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 29 April - 6 May 2021

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

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Here are the headlines you might have missed between 29 April - 6 May 2021. 

Equalities watchdog says 'gender critical' views should be protected beliefs
People Management: The UK’s equality watchdog has said anti-trans views should be considered a form of protected speech under the Equalities Act, and has warned that the outcome of an ongoing Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) could undermine freedom of speech. Read Story.

Coronavirus has progressed companies' ethical thinking
HR Magazine: The coronavirus pandemic has been the ultimate stress test for ethical culture within businesses, according to the annual LRN report. Employees overall said their companies have navigated difficult decision-making well, as 79% of respondents reported their company's ethical culture strengthening amid the pandemic. Read Story.

Pay disparities ‘biggest issue’ at work, say women
Employee Benefits: Ongoing gender pay disparities remain the biggest problem facing women in work today, according to new research by period-care company Yoppie. When asked what the single greatest issue was in the workplace right now, 22% cited the gender pay gap – which came ahead of greater female representation in the boardroom. Read Story.

Half of workers expect their employer to make Covid vaccine mandatory
Workplace Insight: Half of Britain’s workers expect their bosses to demand a vaccine passport before they can return to their workplace claims new research from BrightHR. The study of 5,000 British workers across various sectors claims only 17 percent have had a conversation about their companies’ policy on vaccines, but over a third said they expect it will be mandatory. Read Story.

UK businesses improve their work culture to focus on wellbeing and flexibility
Workplace Insight: Slack, a messaging app for business, has released new research looking into how UK businesses can change their approach to employee experience as lockdown eases, in order to help uphold culture, create flexibility, and maintain productivity. Read Story.

Employers launch gender pay gap campaign
Employee Benefits: Major organisations, including Fawcett Society and Women on Boards UK, have backed a new gender pay gap campaign to speed up progress on reporting data. ‘Reset the Timeline’, launched today (4 May) and led by pay gap specialist Spktral, is asking qualifying employers to not delay submitting their information until the extended deadline they have been given due to Covid-19 (Coronavirus). Read Story.

Low-income staff on share schemes £11k wealthier
Personnel Today: Organisations should offer more opportunities for employee share ownership, a think-tank has urged, after it found low-income workers in such schemes can benefit from almost £11,000 more in assets than others on similar incomes. Read Story.

Study suggests a fifth at sleep deprivation risk because of long hours
Occupational Health & Wellbeing: A fifth of workers in England could be suffering from sleep deprivation because of long working hours, a study has suggested. Some 19.9% of workers put in up to 7.5 hours of overtime on top of their contracted working hours per week, which could have an effect on their sleep schedule, according to the #WakeUpWell study from Blinds Direct. Read Story.

Three in four comms leaders say protecting their brand’s reputation is unmanageable
Engage Employee: New research has found that brand protection is an impossible job for more than three-quarters (78%) of comms leaders due to the increasing number of reputational threats they have to battle, including internal threats from current employees. Read Story.

Six out of 10 savers want pensions to tackle climate change
Corporate Adviser: Almost one in two (44 per cent) of pension savers said their would switch to a ‘green’ product if one was offered by their provider, according to new YouGov research. This research, commissioned by the campaign group Make My Money Matter, also found that six out of 10 pensions savers (61 per cent) said they wanted their retirement savings to take a more active role in tackling climate change. Read Story.

Drop in number of ‘lost’ pensions despite proliferation of accounts
Corporate Adviser: There has been a decline in the number of people who have lost track of old pension pots, according to new research from Aegon. This improvement, although small, comes at a time when the number of people with multiple pension pots continues to increase significantly. Read Story.

Long-term absence will worsen as missed treatments and lengthy waiting lists hit – analysis
Healthcare & Protection: Steve Herbert, head of benefits strategy at Howden Employee Benefits & Wellbeing, told Health & Protection he expects an increase in long-term absence from those employees who were unable to receive treatment or diagnosis during the pandemic, and whose medical conditions might well have worsened as a direct result. Read Story.

Government taskforce calls for flexible working for all
HR Review: The group have raised concerns about the potential rise of a “two-tier workforce”, occurring if flexible working is not offered to all workers across the board.  Key members of the Government’s Flexible Working Task Force have shared their view that flexible working should be offered to all workers. Read Story.

Right to work checks have been left too late, according to employment trade body
HR Magazine: The Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) has written to home secretary Priti Patel to highlight major concerns about the date set for the start of physical Right to Work checks. Patel said physical Right to Work checks will return this month on 17 May however the APSCo have argued it has been left too late. Read Story.

Work-life balance rated top benefit
Employee Benefits: For the first time in seven years, work-life balance has trumped salary as the main thing prospective employees look for in a job. Research by Randstad revealed that 65% of workers ranked it as the most important consideration when looking for a new role. Read Story.

UK third worst in Europe for sick pay
Employee Benefits: With sick pay rapidly becoming a hot topic due to Covid-19 (Coronavirus), a new league table has highlighted which countries offer the best and worst deals in Europe. Whether employers should pay just statutory pay or enhanced pay to encourage isolation or vaccination has become a moot point across the continent, and now the UK has been revealed to be the third worst for sick pay, behind Malta and Ireland. Read Story.

Take-up of flexible arrangements dropped during Covid despite increase in home working, CIPD analysis finds
People Management: Many workers are missing out on the benefits of flexible working arrangements during the pandemic despite the increase in home working, as take-up for flexi-time and part-time working has dropped, according to CIPD analysis of official figures. Read Story.

Covid has damaged older workers’ employment prospects, figures show
People Management: The Covid pandemic has negatively affected employment prospects for those over the age of 50, according to new data. The figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that workers aged 50 and over were more likely to report working fewer hours than usual, with those over 65 most likely to say they had worked reduced hours. Read Story.

‘Covid-19 anxiety syndrome’ rears its head as office return looms
Personnel Today: ‘Covid-19 anxiety syndrome’ may cause employees to struggle with reintegrating back into daily life as workplaces and society begin to open up. This is according to research carried out by London South Bank University and Kingston University, which found 54% of people strongly endorsed avoiding public transport because of a fear of contracting Covid-19; 49% strongly endorsed avoiding touching things in public spaces; and 38% strongly endorsed avoiding going out into public places. Read Story.

Covid causing increase in flexible retirement
Corporate Adviser: The Covid pandemic is forcing more people to look at flexible retirement options, according to research from Standard Life Aberdeen. This ‘Class of 21’ report found that more than half (55 per cent) of those planning to retire this year, will not give up work completely. Read Story.

Mental health income protection claims soar during 2020
Corporate Adviser: The proportion of income protection claims caused by mental illness doubled during 2020, making it the most common reason for a claim according to data published by Zurich. The insurer said that overall more than one in four (27 per cent) income protection claims were triggered by a mental health condition in 2020, compared to just 13 per cent of claims in 2019. Read Story.

A third of Asset Management Firms to increase investment in employee wellbeing post-pandemic says new industry report from Howden
OnRec: Howden surveyed over 160 asset management firms to benchmark their current employee benefits, wellbeing and reward programmes, investigate their plans and find out if their existing benefits are still fit for purpose given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Read Story.

Lawyers urge employers to be clear on sick pay and health benefits from day one
Healthcare & Protection: Employers should be as clear as possible with employees about sick pay and health insurance benefits from day one, according to employment lawyers. Melanie Stancliffe, partner at law firm Cripps Pemberton Greenish, was commenting on findings from a Grid survey which shows half of UK employers are failing to comply with legislation introduced last year on sick pay. Read Story.

Work-life balance becomes top priority for UK workforce
HR Review: A new survey which questioned over 9,000 UK employees has found that the main priority for  employees looking for a new employer is the work-life balance offered.  Randstad, a specialist recruiter, has found that the shift to remote working and the circumstances of the past year has rearranged priorities for employees searching for a new employer. Read Story.

Mental health not a priority for 43% of employers
Employee Benefits: New research has showed a startling mismatch between rising demand for mental health help and this failing to translate into a priority for businesses. According to Koa Health’s Wellbeing at work report, more than half of UK organisations (56%) questioned said they had seen an increase in employee demand for support in this area, and yet nearly as many (43%) admitted that mental health was still not a cultural priority. Read Story.

Link found between loneliness and risk of cancer in middle-aged men
Healthcare & Protection: Finnish researchers have drawn a clear link between loneliness among middle-aged men and an increased risk of cancer. The recent study at the University of Eastern Finland concludes that taking account of loneliness and social relationships should be an important part of comprehensive healthcare and disease prevention. Read Story.

Employers recognise need to tackle financial wellbeing post-Covid
Corporate Adviser: Three out of four employers agree that they need to take a more active role to support employees’ financial wellbeing following the pandemic, according to new research. Willis Towers Watson’s Future of Financial Wellbeing report found this proportion believe employers want them to do more on this issue, while over a third (36 per cent) said the pandemic has had a negative impact on financial wellbeing of their employees. Read Story.

41% of employees trust financial wellbeing tools
Employee Benefits: Financial wellbeing tools must improve in the aftermath of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, according to new research. Willis Towers Watson’s Future of financial wellbeing study revealed that only 41% of employees would trust financial wellbeing provisions provided by their employer. This figure was only 26% among Baby Boomers and 36% among Generation X. Read Story.

Pushing staff to return to the office could be ‘new form of presenteeism’
HR Review: Forcing staff to return to the office could be a new form of presenteeism, says Cate Murden, as it highlights the belief that the physical presence of an employee in the workplace equates to better deliverables. Read Story.

Employers urged prepare for unknown impact of COVID-19
HR Magazine: The full economic impact of the pandemic will not be known "until the government’s furlough plaster is ripped off", says Rhys Moon, director at outplacement specialist Renovo. According to the Officer for National Statistics (ONS), 56,000 people in PAYE employment lost their jobs during April 2020. Read Story.