Companies need to be more honest about employer branding

Companies need to be more honest about employer branding

Almost a third of employees have left a job because the culture wasn’t what they expected so firms need to address their employer branding. The research from pre-hire assessment specialists, ThriveMap, claims that 32 percent of employees have left a job because the culture wasn’t what they thought it would be when they joined the organisation. When asked what was different from what they expected, 56 percent said it was the behaviour of senior leaders, 53 percent said it was the behaviour of colleagues and 51 percent cited everyday management. These figures indicate that a significant proportion of companies are not being completely honest around their employer brand and selling candidates an untruthful picture of what their organisation is really like.

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Closing the gender pay gap needs more than final ideas of Theresa May

Closing the gender pay gap needs more than final ideas of Theresa May

Gender pay gap needs better ideas than those of Theresa MayTheresa May has spent her final few weeks in office trying to salvage a meaningful prime ministerial legacy from the long shadow of her failed Brexit strategy. Part of this effort is her plan to introduce 12 weeks’ paternity leave for new fathers, as part of her drive to reduce the UK’s gender pay gap. It is proposed that employers would pay fathers for the first four weeks of paternity leave at 90 percent of their normal salary, while the remaining eight weeks would be unpaid. This is intended to reduce the gender pay gap by increasing the sharing of parental responsibilities, and freeing mothers up to return to work earlier. More →

Record number of people turn to gig work to top up income

Record number of people turn to gig work to top up income

The number of people doing gig economy work has doubled in the last three years, according to  TUC and FEPS-supported research. The survey – carried out by the University of Hertfordshire with fieldwork and data collection by Ipsos MORI – suggests that nearly 1 in 10 (9.6 percent) working-age adults surveyed now work via gig economy platforms at least once a week, compared to around 1 in 20 (4.7 percent) in 2016. More →

A Turing Test for the workplace

A Turing Test for the workplace 0

Are we seeing the creation of a new type of workplace professional?One of the ideas we’re going to hear about a lot over the next few years is the Turing Test. It describes the point at which a machine’s behaviour becomes indistinguishable from a human’s, so that a typical person is unable to work out if he or she is interacting with a machine or an individual. This matters for lots of reasons; functional, philosophical and ethical. More →

FTSE firms on track to meet women on boards target

FTSE firms on track to meet women on boards target

Firms in the FTSE 100 are on track to reach the target of 33 percent of women on boards  by 2020 that was set by the Hampton Alexander Review. In its July update, the organisation reports that 27.5 percent of FTSE 250 board positions now held by women, up from 24.9 percent three years ago.  The figures suggest that if progress matches the same gains made over the last 3 years, then FTSE 100 companies are on track to meet the 2020 target. Just under a third (32.1 percent) of FTSE 100 board positions are now held by women, up from 12.5 percent in 2011. More →

More people than ever plan to work past 65 but health fears remain

More people than ever plan to work past 65 but health fears remain

According to ONS statistics, nearly three quarters (71 percent), or 23 million UK based employees, plan to work beyond the age of 65, but two in five of these (41 percent) – equivalent to 9.5 million workers – are concerned their health will make it difficult to do so, according to new research from Canada Life Group Insurance. Over a quarter (27 percent) of UK employees think their boss views older workers as a ‘hassle’ because of these possible health struggles. This highlights the potential for poor health to act as a barrier to employment and retention of older workers. Employees also believe their boss perceives older workers as stuck in their ways (30 percent) and technologically inept (30 percent). Among the biggest concerns of those intending to work beyond the age of 65 is that they will be treated differently because their boss or colleagues perceive them as being ‘old’. More →

New drive to tackle workplace barriers faced by disabled people

New drive to tackle workplace barriers faced by disabled people

Disability in the workplace

The day to day challenges and injustices faced by disabled people in the workplace, at home and in the wider community will be tackled head-on through a new package of measures announced by the UK Government.  Higher accessibility standards for homes and buildings, an overhaul of statutory sick pay, and greater workplace support including the right to request modifications are part of  renewed efforts to ensure disabled people can fully participate in society. More →

One in four HR teams have no boardroom involvement

One in four HR teams have no boardroom involvement

Many HR departments feel they are being left out of strategic boardroom decisions across the UK, according to research published by Reed HR.  Around one in four HR professionals surveyed  said that their companies did not involve them in key strategic business decisions. In addition, four in five agreed that changing demands for employee benefits has impacted the responsibilities of the HR professional. And, of the 200 HR professionals taking part in the survey, only 10 per cent agreed that technology was having the biggest impact on the industry despite fears about AI replacing jobs. The majority (72 percent) of those asked said Brexit was making an impact on the sector with a quarter (24 percent) saying it was having the most influence. More →

Tech workers prefer to work for larger corporations

Tech workers prefer to work for larger corporations

Tech workers sharing a jokeUK SMEs are losing out to big tech in the battle to recruit top tech talent, according to Robert Half UK’s new report, Recruiting for the future: The challenges for UK SMEs. The white paper, which was based on an independent study of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) across the UK, found that three quarters (75 percent) of CIOs believe that it is more challenging for SMEs to attract tech workers because they prefer to work for larger technology companies. More →

Culture clash means one in ten non-native workers leave jobs

Culture clash means one in ten non-native workers leave jobs

Crossed pencils with sparks illustrate a culture clashA new report from Jobsite claims that almost one in ten (8 percent) non-native workers in the UK have had to leave a job because of a culture clash or they felt they didn’t fit in, and a quarter (23 percent) of those working in multicultural teams feel their workplace has become less accepting towards their non-UK colleagues since the EU Referendum. The survey claims that over a third (35 percent) of non-native workers believe their career progression has been impacted whilst a further 13 percent think they have been overlooked for a promotion due to their cultural background. More →

Majority of SMEs lack a health and wellbeing strategy

Majority of SMEs lack a health and wellbeing strategy

Majority of small businesses have no health and wellbeing strategyNew research from AXA PPP healthcare claims that eight out of ten (82 percent) SME business leaders don’t have a health and wellbeing strategy in place. The same research found two-thirds (24 percent) report experiencing job-related stress or anxiety and just 15 per cent believe their company provides a culture which supports their mental health. The research also claims  nearly half (46 percent) of employees working in small and medium sized businesses continue working when they’re feeling unwell and less than a quarter (24 percent) see a GP because they worry about taking time off work. One-fifth (18 percent) feel guilty for taking time away from their desk for lunch and more than a quarter (27 percent) send and receive emails outside of work hours.

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Worker confidence in the UK jobs market falls

Worker confidence in the UK jobs market falls

Confidence in jobs market fallsThe Monster Jobs Confidence Index, published for the first time by jobs board Monster.co.uk and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), claims that workers and job seekers confidence in the UK labour market has dropped by 10 percent, from 77 percent to 67 percent. The report defines confidence as how an individual feels about their ability to find a suitable job in the short-term, realise their career potential and build a better future for themselves.

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