At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 8-14 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 8-14 February.
Back and neck pain causes a third to take a sick day
Personnel Today: A third (33%) of employees have taken at least one day off work due to back or neck pain in the past year, with almost half reporting that their pain is triggered by spending long periods sitting at their desks. Read Story.
SMEs plan employee benefits expansion
BQ Live: SME bosses are planning to increase the benefits they offer staff in addition to pensions over the next two years as they focus on retention and recruitment, new research from MetLife UK shows. Read Story.
Lunch breaks vs less hours: what do workers really want?
HR Grapevine: The lunch break is the traditional time for employees to unwind. Employees are encouraged to spend some time away from their desks to eat, socialise with colleagues or sneak in a little wellbeing practice to refresh themselves, ready for the afternoon ahead. Read Story.
Half of Brits don’t see value in protecting life, income or family
Health Insurance Daily: More than half (52%) of consumers do not see the value of protecting their own life, income or family, a poll shows. Read Story.
Researchers say people should reduce stress through sleep and exercise
Health Insurance Daily: Stress in middle age can shrink the brain and make people’s memory worse, scientists have warned. The brain-reducing effects of stress, identified in people in their 40s free from dementia, were found to be triggered by the stress hormone cortisol. Read Story.
Pension errors making one in 20 payslips wrong – research
Corporate Adviser: Half of all pension records contain errors, some of which are so fundamental that one in 20 people’s monthly payslips may be wrong, according to data from Pensionsync. Read Story.
Tourism sector failing to offer dignity in employment
HR Review: A new study in tourism employment finds that many jobs are failing to provide dignity in employment. The tourism sector, which accounts for nearly 10 per cent of global employment, risks undermining rather than contributing to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, according to three academics from the University of Surrey. Read Story.
New fund will help victims of domestic abuse and homelessness return to work
People Management: Victims of domestic abuse, homelessness and drug abuse who are struggling to get back into work are to be given a boost with a £500,000 pot of funding, launched by the minister for women and equalities. Read Story.
Seven-year jail terms unveiled for pension fund mismanagement
The Guardian: MPs and pension experts have welcomed government plans to introduce lengthy jail sentences for executives who recklessly mismanage pension funds, in an effort to avoid a repeat of recent scandals like BHS or Carillion. Read Story.
Face-to-face methods are most popular for delivery of financial education
Employee Benefits: EXCLUSIVE: Among those organisations that offer financial education to their employees, face-to-face delivery continues to be the most popular method, according to research by Employee Benefits and Barnett Waddingham. Read Story.
The 2019 Top Employers to work for in the UK revealed
The HR Director: The Top Employers Institute, a global certifier recognising employers that provide world-class employee conditions, has released its list of Certified UK Top Employers for 2019. Read Story.
AE extends workplace pensions to 10 million employees
Corporate Adviser: New figures from the Department of Work and Pensions show that 10 million workers have now been automatically enrolled into a company pension scheme. This is seen as a significant milestone for this flagship pension policy, which was first introduced in 2012. Read Story.
TUC calls for a complete ban on zero hours contracts
Workplace Insight: Zero-hours workers are more than twice as likely to work night shifts than other workers, according to new analysis published by the TUC. The analysis shows that on a range of key measures, zero-hours workers are having a tougher time those in secure employment. Read Story.
Government publishes new guidance on gender pay gap
HR Magazine: As the reporting deadline for the second year approaches new guidance has been released to help employers close their gaps. Read Story.
Women in HR earn 13 per cent less on average, survey claims
People Management: Female HR professionals are being paid an average 13 per cent less than their male counterparts working in the function, according to a new survey. Despite women being offered larger salary increases than men when they moved into a new HR role, their pay still lagged behind their male counterparts regardless of sector. Read Story.
Basic income experiment increased wellbeing but did not encourage people to find work
Workplace Insight: Giving jobless people in Finland a basic income for two years improved their self-perceived wellbeing but did not lead them to find work, researchers have concluded. Read Story.
Workers willing to share health data for improved employee benefits
Corporate Adviser: New research has highlighted considerable demand among UK workers for benefits that encourage a more healthy lifestyle. Read Story.
Kick old habits to the kerb: Research reveals the stuffy office traditions Brits want to get rid of this year
OnRec: Are you fed up of certain outdated traditions that still crop up in the workplace? Most of us have experienced frustration with this at some point, whether it’s tedious meetings, lengthy tea rounds or even the flexible working debate. In fact, new research from the UK’s leading independent job board, CV-Library, has found that nearly half (42.7%) of Brits think these stuffy office traditions need to be abandoned. Read Story.
DWP to set out CDC proposals in 'coming weeks'
Professional Pensions: The government will proceed with legislation to implement collective defined contribution (CDC) schemes and aims to formally respond to the consultation in a matter of weeks, Guy Opperman has confirmed. Read Story.
UK workers demand better remote working options, claims Airbnb report
Workplace Insight: UK employers need to provide more flexible and remote working options in order to attract the best talent, according to new research released by Airbnb for Work. Read Story.
Third are worried about Brexit-related HR skills shortage
HR Magazine: A third (32%) of HR and payroll professionals think that they don't have the skills in their departments to adapt to Brexit, according to SD Worx. Read Story.
Businesses rejecting ‘maternity-age’ candidates
HR Magazine: As the government pledges to increase rights for pregnant women at work, new research reveals discrimination against ‘maternity-age’ women. Read Story.
2 out of 5 graduates don’t feel they have good mental health
HR Review: Research has today revealed that more than two out of five (44 per cent) of graduates do not feel they have very good mental health. For those seeking employment, working part-time, or still studying, this figure rises to 49 per cent. Read Story.
Women being judged differently at work, says survey
People Management: Organisations focus too much on gender policies and not enough on tackling behaviour, experts have said, in response to new research that found organisational culture remained a key barrier to female progression at work. Read Story.
Site launched to help workers claim uncollected pay
The Guardian: A website is being launched to help freelancers and other workers claim an estimated £3bn a year owed in wages and holiday allowances, in the latest example of justice moving online. Read Story.
Stark levels of stress among small business owners as they struggle to stay solvent
Workplace Insight: Chronic work-related stress has risen sharply among small business owners, with a fifth of small business owners look to taking a job elsewhere to stay afloat this year. Read Story.
Gender pay gap 2019: Three in 10 reports have errors
Personnel Today: Almost a third of organisations that have submitted their gender pay gap reports for this year have published erroneous data, analysis has uncovered. Read Story.
Four out of five police officers feel stressed or anxious
Personnel Today: Seventy-nine per cent of police officers say they have felt feelings of stress and anxiety in the past 12 months according to a Police Federation of England and Wales survey of its members. Read Story.
Almost half of young workers 'prefer' digital GPs
Cover Magazine: Research by Willis Towers Watson has found that almost half of workers aged 18 to 24 would prefer to access GP services - such as medical advice, consultations or prescriptions - digitally, compared to 16% of those aged 55 and over. Read Story.
UK workers 'too busy' to visit dentist
Cover Magazine: Research by Bupa has suggested that millions of employees - 14% of the UK population - are putting off visiting the dentist due to time constraints. Read Story.
Nearly half of HR plan to change benefits offering this year
Health Insurance Daily: Nearly half (45%) of HR practitioners are planning changes to their current benefit offerings this year, a survey shows. Read Story.
More than half of employers run informal wellbeing initiatives
Health Insurance Daily: More than half of employers (54.4%) run informal employee wellbeing initiatives, while one in five (22%) have a formal programme in place, research shows. Read Story.
Age discrimination biggest obstacle to re-entering employment
HR Magazine: Age discrimination is the biggest obstacle preventing people from getting back into employment, according to jobsite Jobrapido. Read Story.
Four-fifths rely on alternative finance options to source money between paydays
Employee Benefits: Almost four-fifths (78%) of UK employees rely on finance options such as credit cards in order to source money quickly between paydays, according to research by on-demand pay provider Hastee Pay. Read Story.
Less than two-fifths of organisations offer financial education to employees
Employee Benefits: EXCLUSIVE: The number of organisations offering financial education to all staff has reduced slightly this year, dropping from 41% in 2017 to 36% in 2018, according to research by Employee Benefits and Barnett Waddingham. Read Story.
Half of managers have never received mental health training
Health Insurance Daily: Nearly half (49%) of managers have never received training on managing mental health in the workplace, according to a survey by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). Read Story.
Employee wellbeing “at risk” as businesses fail to communicate Brexit plans
Corporate Adviser: Almost one in two businesses has failed to communicate with employees about their planning for Brexit, according to a new research. The survey, by Howden Employee Benefits found that only 12 per cent of employers have been regularly communicating with their staff about the preparations their businesses were making for Brexit. Read Story.
Fraudster families running multimillion pound pension scams
Actuarial Post: Organised crime groups led by married couples or families are running pension scams worth millions of pounds. Intelligence gathered by members of the multi-agency Project Bloom group, which was set up to tackle pension scams, indicates that a number of “fraudster families” are targeting pension holders. Read Story.
UK professionals aren't feeling the love this Valentine's Day, with 55.6% revealing that they want to break up with their job
Onrec: Shockingly, 42.6% of the population believed that the best solution to unhappiness in the workplace would be quitting. That’s according to the latest survey from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job site. Read Story.