At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 8-14 October 2021
Here are the headlines you might have missed between 8-14 October 2021.
Gender pay gap widens and 10% of employers fail to report
Employee Benefits: Hitachi Solutions reports mean gender pay gap of 22.2%Analysis of employers’ submissions to the gender pay gap reporting service show that one in 10 employers have not complied with the regulations this year. For those that have, the median figure for the hourly pay gap rose from 9.5% to 10.4%, meaning women earn 90p for every pound earned by a man. Read Story.
FCA adds excess to staff PMI cover as premiums double in five years
Healthcare & Protection: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is planning to introduce an excess payment for staff who use its private medical insurance (PMI) cover after soaring premium costs. The regulator said premiums for the policy had almost doubled in the last five years, but headcount had only risen by 22%, suggesting usage and medical inflation had grown rapidly. Read Story.
Flexible working makes employees feel more trusted, poll finds
People Management: Remote working during the pandemic has made employees feel more trusted by their organisations, a poll has found. A survey of 2,000 workers, conducted by Kadence, found that since the start of the pandemic 62 per cent reported feeling more trusted to do their job effectively, while nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) felt a greater sense of trust because they were not being micromanaged. Read Story.
Working parents desire extension of Statutory Sick Leave
HR Review: Nine in 10 working parents would support extending sick leave, allowing them to better manage occasions when their children are sick. According to new research by Mumsnet, parents in paid work are routinely being forced to use their annual leave or take unpaid leave when their children are unwell. Read Story.
34% of SMEs have staff with mental wellbeing issues
Employee Benefits: 95% of organisations offer some form of mental wellbeing education. A third (34%) of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have employees with mental wellbeing concerns since lockdown restrictions started to ease in April, which is up from 26% in its spring study. Read Story.
Mental health professionals ask employers to implement a right to disconnect
HR Magazine: Almost half (45%) of employees have reported they feel they have to reply to work messages outside of working hours. And nearly two-thirds (64%) of those working at SMEs said they feel guilty about taking holiday in a poll commissioned by Spill, a mental health support service. Read Story.
60% of UK organisations now prioritise mental health support in benefits packages
HR News: In its latest benefits and allowances survey, XpertHR, the country’s leading online HR resource, reveals that more than half (59.4%) of UK organisations offer mental health support to their workforce. In addition, almost all survey respondents offer at least one employee benefit that aims to positively impact health and wellbeing, with employee assistance programmes and life assurance proving the most popular options. Read Story.
Seven out of 10 DB schemes failing to address climate change
Corporate Adviser: Large DB pension schemes are lagging the DC pension sector when it comes to addressing climate change, with more than seven out of 10 schemes failing to set ‘robust’ net zero targets. Read Story.
Almost 1.5 million have missed a breast screening
Occupational Health & Wellbeing Plus: The number of people who have not had a potentially life-saving NHS breast screening has risen to 1.5 million women across the UK, a charity has warned. Breast Cancer Now estimated that, since NHS services restarted in the summer, half a million more women have missed a breast screening. Read Story.
Only a third of ethnic minorities think recruiters treat them fairly
Personnel Today: Only three in 10 ethnic minority candidates believe they are treated fairly when working with recruitment agencies, according to a survey that exposes high levels of distrust in recruiters. Read Story.
Up to 5.5 million could have diabetes by 2030
Occupational Health & Wellbeing Plus: Around one in 10 UK adults could be living with diabetes by 2030, a leading charity has warned. Diabetes UK has said that without significant government action up to 5.5 million people could be living with diabetes within the next decade and 17 million people are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Read Story.
Job vacancies reach another record high, official figures show
People Management: Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the number of vacancies reached 1,102,000 in July to September, up 68,000 from the previous rolling quarter and the second consecutive rolling quarter that vacancies have topped a million. Read Story.
Brits shun traditional working hours, favouring flexibility and family life
Workplace Insight: New research released by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, claims that Brits are feeling much more relaxed about the new world of work and redefining what is now ‘acceptable’ when it comes to working norms – including sending work emails from the school run, using short form and emojis in emails to the boss, or working in pyjamas from the bedroom. Read Story.
Staff fear speaking about mental health issues could jeopardise career
HR Review: Half of employees confess they would feel uncomfortable discussing mental health issues due to the negative impact this could have on their career. According to a survey by payroll, learning and HR company MHR, almost one in two employees are hesitant about sharing mental health issues with their employer because of the impact that this could have on their career. Read Story.
Companies refraining from disclosing parental pay and leave
HR Review: New research finds a distinctive lack of transparency from firms when it comes to clearly setting out family-friendly policies. The majority of companies are failing in a basic measure of inclusion by not being clear about family-friendly policies for prospective employees, research by consultancy ECC outlines. Read Story.
Hiring Black graduates failing to make workplaces more inclusive
HR Review: Despite companies putting in more effort to recruit Black graduates, this is failing to have a meaningful impact on racial injustice in the workplace. A new report from the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) suggests that efforts to hire Black graduates require CEO backing in order to make a tangible difference. Read Story.
Six out of 10 savers fail to consolidate workplace pension pots
Corporate Adviser: More than one in four adults (26 per cent) now have at least one pension pot of less than £5,000, as the problem of small pots across the pensions industry continues to proliferate. The latest research by Aegon shows the extent of the problem, with almost six out of 10 pension savers (58 per cent) had never consolidated their different pension savings. Read Story.
ABI calls for Govt to simplify plans to raise minimum pension age
Corporate Adviser: The pensions industry has given a stark warning to politicians that current plans to increase the age at which people can access their retirement funds will “bake in complexity” to pension rules for decades to come. Read Story.
People spend a decade in ill health – Vitality and Rand Europe
Healthcare & Protection: People around the world will on average spend 10 years in ill health during their lifetimes, a rise of 15% in the last 30 years according to research from Vitality and Rand Europe. Read Story.
88% of staff think parental leave policies aid wellbeing
Employee Benefits: New research has revealed that 88% of employees and managers think that organisations with parental leave programmes show support for wellbeing, with 52% strongly agreeing with this. Read Story.
42% of UK staff want a four-day work week
Employee Benefits: New data has found that UK employees expect more from their employers, with a four-day working week (42%) and unlimited holiday (41%) ranked as the top two benefits desired by staff. Read Story.
FCA warns businesses over remote working risks
Corporate Adviser: The FCA has issued a warning to businesses about the risks associated with remote employment, citing worries about data, cyber, and security. Read Story.
Majority of employers failing to support women through menopause
Corporate Adviser: Over half of UK businesses do not have any specialist menopause support in place for employees, according to new research. However, this issue is rising up the corporate wellbeing agenda, with the research showing a fifth of employers (21 per cent) plan to provide support within the next 12 months. However a higher percentage (24 per cent) said no plans were underway to offer this level of help. Read Story.
A third of young workers concerned about proximity bias
HR Magazine: A third (34%) of 18-to-24-year-olds are concerned that working remotely will mean they miss out on progression opportunities. Proximity bias, the idea that those in close physical proximity to leadership will be perceived as better workers, is causing concern for 21% of people overall, with 55-to-64-year-olds among the least concerned (7%). Read Story.
Half of workers concerned hybrid working could lead to discrimination, report finds
People Management: Experts say HR has a role to play in ensuring line managers are prepared to deal with new challenges. More than half of employees are concerned that hybrid workers could be discriminated against or treated differently to full-time workers, a poll has found. The Poly Evolution of the Workplace report, which polled 2,003 UK hybrid workers, found 57 per cent were concerned they would face discrimination because of their working arrangement. Read Story.
Business leaders concerned about digital inequality in the future hybrid working model
Workplace Insight: A new report from Actual Experience, claims organisations are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of digital inequality on employees, as hybrid working looks set to become the new normal. This new working model is causing concern across multiple sectors; 67 percent of C-Suite representatives cite that they’re worried these new ways of working will introduce inequalities in how people access and use digital tools. Read Story.
58% of staff cannot relax due to remote working
Employee Benefits: New research findings have revealed that more than half (58%) of employees believe the increase in remote working has meant they are unable to relax or switch off from work. Read Story.
Majority of employees comfortable asking their manager to work remotely, think tank finds
People Management: Experts warn firms that fail to engage with hybrid working models could see lower productivity and risk losing staff to more flexible competitors. The majority of workers are happy to speak to their employer about remote and hybrid working, research has found, with experts advising firms to listen to their staff’s needs. Read Story.
Employers urged to create inclusive menopause policies by health and safety body
People Management: Businesses need to do more to ensure their workplaces support employees who are going through the menopause, an international health and safety body has said. The UK-based Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has said firms should aim to create a more inclusive and supportive workplace culture, and adopt managerial styles that make those with symptoms of the menopause feel comfortable requesting support. Read Story.
Over two thirds of business leaders concerned about digital inequality in the future hybrid working model
HR News: A new report from People Analytics and consulting company, Actual Experience, has revealed organisations are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of digital inequality on employees, as hybrid working looks set to become the new normal. Read Story.