At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 3-9 May 2019
The headlines you might have missed between 3-9 May.
Two-thirds of managers feel confident promoting wellbeing among staff
Employee Benefits: Two-thirds (66%) of managers feel confident promoting employee wellbeing, according to research by mental health charity Mind. Read Story.
Revealed: 80% of UK office workers feels office seating affects their mental wellbeing
Onrec: With employee wellbeing hot on the agenda, Brickendon’s research reveals the biggest hot desking pitfalls and how businesses can overcome them. Read Story.
Employers must end the stigma against mothers working part-time
Onrec: Mothers in the UK continue to face greater obstacles than fathers in their careers if they embrace part time and flexible working, according to a major new study. Read Story.
Young people unaware of their workplace rights
HR Magazine: Young workers are not only unaware of the rights they hold in the workplace but are less likely to belong to a trade union, according to research. Read Story.
People with epilepsy twice as likely as average to be unemployed
Workplace Insight: In the UK approximately 1 in 100 people (600,000) have a diagnosis of epilepsy, yet despite anti-discrimination legislation, people with epilepsy in the UK are more than twice as likely as those without the condition to be unemployed. Read Story.
New mental health campaign goes viral
HR Grapevine: A new social media-based campaign by health platform Made of Millions has gained the attention of workers worldwide. The campaign, entitled #dearmanager, aims to start real, specific and honest mental health awareness conversations between managers and employees in workplaces across the globe. Read Story.
Salary still number one consideration in choosing employer, says survey
People Management: Cash is still king when it comes to attracting employees in the UK, according to a survey of managers which suggests values and cultural fit are not viewed as particularly important during the recruitment process. Read Story.
Two thirds say workload is harming health
Health Insurance & Protection: Two-thirds of Brits believe their workload is having a detrimental effect on their health, a study has found. The poll of 2,000 UK professionals revealed seven in 10 put their aches and pains down to staring at computer screens for prolonged periods. Read Story.
Four million people ‘living with untreated high blood pressure’
Health Insurance & Protection: Four million people under the age of 65 in the UK are living with untreated high blood pressure, according to estimates. The analysis by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) also found that 1.3 million of these people are under the age of 45. Read Story.
Study shows female managers don’t mean higher pay for women
Incentive & Motivation: A new paper in the European Sociological Review indicates that women’s and men’s earnings are not affected by the share of female managers in an organization, nor by the sex of workers’ individual managers. Read Story.
Forcing a smile for customers linked with more drinking after work
Incentive & Motivation: Employees who force themselves to smile and be happy in front of customers — or who try to hide feelings of annoyance — may be at risk for heavier drinking after work, according to researchers. Read Story.
36% of Home workers are scared to ask employer for help with their posture
Incentive & Motivation: Leading UK supplier of low priced office supplies, stationery and furniture; www.euroffice.co.uk polled over 2400 people (between January and April 2019) who regularly work more than 1 day per week from home to lift the lid on just how good or bad their workspace is, what they plan on doing about it and why it’s less than perfect. Read Story.
74% rise in home working since 2008
Fresh Business Thinking: The number of people working from their own home has grown by three quarters between 2008 and 2018, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said 1.54 million people worked from home for their main role in 2008, up from 884,000 in 2008 – a 74% increase. Read Story.
Formal bonuses overrated in motivating staff
HR Magazine: Allowing managers to use their discretion when allocating bonuses can help motivate staff, research has found. Researchers at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, examined how employees respond to managers using discretion to decide how much bonus to award them. Read Story.
Publish disability figures, urges charity
HR Magazine: Scope is calling on other organisations to join it in reporting disability figures, so that employees can get the workplace support they need. Read Story.
Pensioner couples to miss out on £7,000 because of 'toy boy tax'
Cover magazine: Pensioner couples set to miss out on thousands of pounds because of incoming changes to pension credit rules for so-called 'mixed-age' couples. Read Story.
‘Meaningful work and location more important than high pay’ for UK staff
Personnel Today: A survey of 1,000 employees in UK, US, France and Germany by project management software specialist Wrike, found that the most satisfied staff enjoyed their collaboration with team members but also valued the balance between home and work and benefited from an environment where their employers put technology in place to support their home/work balance. Read Story.
Nearly half of SME employees have quit because of their boss
HR Review: The extent of poor SME leadership in the UK has been revealed in new research out today, with 45 per cent of SME employees having quit a job because of a boss, while four in ten do not feel trusted or valued by their current boss. Read Story.
Three quarters of young Brits say commuting is harming their mental health
HR Review: A new research surveyed 2,000 UK workers and found that over two in five (43 per cent) think their commutes negatively impact their stress levels. Read Story.
UK skills ceiling costing lower skilled employees £11,926 a year & damaging business productivity
Onrec: A lack of access to training for UK workers has created a skills ceiling which costs lower paid staff £11,926 a year and deprives businesses of a pool of untapped talent from within their business, according to research released today from AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians). Read Story.
70,000 DB members exercise pension freedoms each year, finds XPS
Professional Pensions: XPS Pensions Group has revealed 70,000 defined benefit (DB) members are exercising pension freedoms each year, suggesting more education is needed to ensure better member outcomes. Read Story.
Retirees see income tax rise 13% in five years
FT Adviser: Retirees have seen their income tax bills increase by 13 per cent in the five years to 2016/17, according to new figures from Quilter. Read Story.
Enhance leave policies to keep carers in work, employers urged
Personnel Today: The chief executive of a major energy supplier is urging employers to do more to retain the almost 5 million people who juggle work and caring responsibilities. Read Story.
Four in 10 staff unaware of paid travel time entitlement
Personnel Today: Four in 10 workers wrongly believe they are not entitled to a minimum wage for the time they spend travelling between assignments, highlighting the need for employers to check they are fully compliant with wage rules. Read Story.
People would take a pay cut in exchange for flexible working
Workplace Insight: Almost half of UK workers would take a 20 percent pay cut if it meant they could spend more time at home with their families, according to new research from www.Hillarys.co.uk. Read Story.
Conflict at work linked to mental health issues
HR Magazine: Workplace conflict may be behind a rise in mental ill health among employees, research has suggested. Read Story.
Quarter of all GIP claims now for mental health issues: L&G
Corporate Adviser: Legal & General has confirmed it paid out £292m in group protection claims in 2018.These latest figures show that mental health issues continue to be the main reason for group income protection claims, accounting for one in four claims last year. Mental health has been the top cause of claims on L&G’s GIP policies since 1999. Read Story.
One in three workers ‘afraid to raise issues with their manager’, survey reveals
People Management: One in three workers (32 per cent) feel uncomfortable approaching their manager with problems at work, research published today has revealed. Read Story.
Younger workers would stay at company longer if it was actively lowering its environmental impact
HR Review: New research reveals what Generation Z and Millennials expect from employers when it comes to their workplace: sustainable buildings and sustainable working practices. A new survey of 1,000 Millennials (those born from the early 80s to mid-90s) and Generation Z (born between the mid-90s and mid-00s) was conducted on sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the workplace. Read Story.
Fragmented working lives could disrupt pension saving
FT Adviser: Work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd has called on the government to focus on helping people move to higher paid and higher skilled roles as the market readies itself for an increasing number of automated jobs. Read Story.
Auto-enrolment rises: Almost half of Brits admit they don’t understand how the scheme works
HR News: From 6th April 2019, auto-enrolment pension contributions are set to rise, but how many Brits really understand what they are paying into and when they’ll be able to access it? New research from pensions advice specialist, Portafina, reveals how clued up the nation is when it comes to their pension pots. Read Story.
Employees least likely to call in sick in May – apart from spike days after the Bank Holidays
Employer News: Data taken from a subset of 500 UK employers using its absence management system shows that May is generally a low sickness absence month – with just 38.6 average sick days recorded. Read Story.