Stress levels at work have grown, while productivity fell, but there is some good news

Stress levels at work have grown, while productivity fell, but there is some good news 0

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Stress and anxiety treatments have doubled over a decade, while 44 percent of workers say the world around them has become more stressful and complex. In the ten years since Bupa launched its first Wellbeing Report; people are working an extra 15.4 million hours every week, but productivity remaining low. However, on a more positive note, more employees than ever are prepared to talk about mental health issues with their employer. The research, which coincides with the launch of the Bupa Wellbeing Edit – a report into the key themes in workplace wellbeing, which includes insights from business and wellbeing experts, shows the number of people receiving mental health treatments has increased by 53 per cent in the last decade. Treatment for stress and anxiety have more than doubled over the last 10 years, which now stand at just under 70,000. However, although working longer hours has contributed to higher stress levels, the analysis based on businesses of all sizes, suggests that employers’ openness towards mental health is also increasing levels of self-reporting.

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Majority of new managers are unprepared and unable to manage their teams

Majority of new managers are unprepared and unable to manage their teams 0

by • News, Workplace

Businesses across the UK could be experiencing significant losses in productivity because managers are unprepared and unable to manage their teams new research suggests. The research which was carried out by chartered fellow of the CIPD Susan Binnersley MD of development consultancy H2H, found that a majority (77.42 percent) of managers didn’t feel prepared to take on their first management role. Only 21.5 percent of people felt they had the full support of their manager when taking over a team and 69 percent admit they spent the majority of their time not managing their team in their first management role. This gets worse over time with 74 percent saying they now spend majority of their time not managing their team today; 81 percent say this is because they spend a large part of their time doing tasks their team should be responsible for. The majority (72 percent) claim this is because they want to lead by example but more than half (51 percent) admit they feel the task if done quicker if they do it. Managers also admit struggling with delegation, with 35 percent saying the struggled to let go of control, 35 percent saying they didn’t feel they had the resources and 29 percent saying it didn’t feel fair to ask someone to do the task.

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Major global study identifies the priorities of students and their most favoured potential employers

Major global study identifies the priorities of students and their most favoured potential employers 0

by • News, Workplace

A new study of 290,000 students worldwide claims that the majority studying business, engineering and IT would prefer to work for medium sized businesses and that they have a very clear idea about the sort of employer they would like to work for. The World’s Most Attractive Employers (WMAE) study from employer branding consultancy Universum Global is now in its 9th year and draws on data from the world’s 12 largest economies to rank the companies students find most desirable for employment. Overall, the majority of students (74 percent) reported that they would prefer to work for a company with fewer than one thousand employees. A larger proportion of talent from Germany, France, and Brazil would prefer to work for larger employers, but overall talent in these markets also said they would prefer to work for smaller firms. For business and engineering / IT students in all countries excluding Russia, India and Germany, work/life balance remains the overall top career goal. Results reveal Russian students in both fields of study still prefer job security, while Indian students in both fields of study are far more interested in having an international career than they are in other career goals.

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Employees unaware extent of digital monitoring their employers are legally allowed

Employees unaware extent of digital monitoring their employers are legally allowed 0

by • Facilities management, Legal news, News, Technology, Workplace

Employees unaware extent of digital monitoring access employers legally allowed

Most employees incorrectly believe the monitoring by their bosses of their personal social media and work email is illegal, but they’d be wrong, new data from Broadband Genie has revealed. The research found public ignorance over monitoring in the workplace, with the majority (79 percent) believing that workplaces weren’t legally allowed to monitor personal social media accounts. Similarly, the opening of work mail or email (58 percent), recording of work phone calls (53 percent) and checking logs of websites (36 percent) were all believed to be illegal. However, sources such as Citizens Advice explain workplaces in the UK can monitor employees use of phone, internet and email if, “it relates to business, the equipment being monitored is provided partly or wholly for work, [and] the employer has made all reasonable efforts to inform the employee that communications will be monitored”.

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UK lags behind in employee satisfaction and happiness levels

UK lags behind in employee satisfaction and happiness levels 0

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

The UK has one of the lowest levels of staff satisfaction, being ranked sixth in an international study of employee happiness. This is according to research by Robert Half; It’s Time We All Work Happy: The Secrets of the Happiest Companies and Employees. For the study, Robert Half worked with leading happiness and well-being expert Nic Marks of Happiness Works, whose team evaluated the levels of employee happiness among more than 23,000 working professionals across Europe, North America and Australia. The report shows the United States, Germany and the Netherlands have the happiest employees among the countries included in the research, ranking 71.8, 71.2 and 69.9, respectively, on a scale of 0-100, with 100 being the happiest. The countries studied with the lowest levels of employee happiness are France (63.8), Belgium (65.2) and the United Kingdom (67.2). The research also shows that the top drivers of employee happiness vary by country. In the United States, UK and Canada, the highest-ranking factors are having pride in one’s organisation, feeling appreciated and being treated with fairness and respect. In France, Belgium, Germany and Australia, being treated with fairness and respect is the top happiness factor. In the Netherlands, a sense of accomplishment is the most important driver of happiness.

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Study suggests ways staff could work fewer hours while raising productivity

Study suggests ways staff could work fewer hours while raising productivity 0

by • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

Employers can implement simple changes to reduce fatigue while raising worker productivity, a new academic study suggests. Research published by Manel Baucells from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business offers some useful insights for today’s workforce in overcoming fatigue while at the same time raising productivity. The paper “It is time to get some rest”, co-authored with Lin Zhao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, looks at how workers’ efforts can be best distributed throughout the day. The study’s implications affect not only our health and quality of life, but business and the economy too. “The bottom line is, when it comes to rest and managing fatigue, the incentives of companies and workers are perfectly aligned: Reducing fatigue increases productivity, lowers the cost of providing effort, increasing work satisfaction, lowering turnover and absenteeism, and ultimately increasing profits,” said Baucell. “Google seems to have learned this lesson and makes the work environment pleasant, promoting fun distractions, while at the same time encouraging long work hours.”

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Many business owners are baffled by workplace law jargon

Many business owners are baffled by workplace law jargon 0

by • Legal news, News, Workplace

A survey of 250 business owners by Attest market research for HR and employment law advisors Peninsula found that 54 percent of business owners were baffled by workplace law jargon with many thinking the human resource management method – Bradford factor – stood for the best singer in Bradford instead of a means of measuring worker absenteeism. 44 percent thought TUPE meant total under taxation of parliament expenses not transfer of undertaking regulation, 30 percent thought EAT meant employment advice team not employment appeal tribunal. Meanwhile the Conservatives’ election slogan ‘strong and stable’ clearly left a huge mark on people’s thoughts as a number of business owners thought that ‘SSP’ stood for ‘strong and stable professionalism’ instead of the correct meaning of ‘statutory sick pay.’

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Firms still paying lip service to digital transformation, but change may be coming

Firms still paying lip service to digital transformation, but change may be coming 0

by • News, Technology, Workplace

Britain’s biggest businesses risk being disrupted by the pace of technological change because their senior leaders are paying lip service to the need for digital transformation, according to a study from tech startup AVADO. The study of senior managers responsible for the learning and development (L&D) of staff at Britain’s biggest firms with turnovers of over £100m found that the need for digital transformation is accepted, almost universally, among respondents. 86 percent say they have assessed the business risk of not taking action and 88 percent have taken steps to address this. Yet, despite 93 percent of L&D professionals saying a digital transformation strategy is in place, the report suggests critical top down buy-in is missing. Yet, a second report from recruiters Robert Half suggests that a growing number of firms in the key finance sector are now actively recruiting to improve their digital transformation strategy.

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Extending the length of working lives could boost UK GDP by £80 billion

Extending the length of working lives could boost UK GDP by £80 billion 0

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

The UK could boost its GDP by around 4.2 percent (around £80 billion at today’s values) if the employment rate of workers aged over 55 could match that of Sweden, the highest performing EU country, according to a new PwC analysis comparing the employment of older workers across 34 OECD countries. There is a 12 percentage point gap between the employment rates of workers aged 55-64  in the UK and Sweden. PwC’s Golden Age Index is a weighted average of indicators – including employment, earnings and training – that reflect the labour market impact of workers aged over 55. The UK has remained middling in the rankings since 2003, falling by one place from 18th in 2014 from 19th in 2015. The report suggests that extending working lives could have a transformational effect on the economy.

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Half of UK employees say the workplace has a negative impact on their wellbeing

Half of UK employees say the workplace has a negative impact on their wellbeing 0

by • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

UK employers are falling short of fully supporting mental health in the workplace, with half of UK employees say their workplace has a negative impact on their physical, mental and financial wellbeing, a new survey claims. And according to the Global Employee Benefits Watch 2017/18 from Thomsons Online Benefits of over 2,000 office workers around the world, multinational organisations are not using benefits effectively to improve employee wellbeing and provide a positive workplace experience. Almost 40 percent of employees cite improving mental wellbeing as a life goal, yet less than half of those (18 percent), feel that their benefits scheme supports this. The situation is similar for those wanting to get fit and healthy; 44 percent of employees are keen to do this, yet less than half of them (20 percent) say their employer is helping them to fulfil this ambition.

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As UK heatwave continues, Acas issues hot weather tips for employers

As UK heatwave continues, Acas issues hot weather tips for employers 0

by • Facilities management, Legal news, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

With the Met Office predicting that the hot weather looks set to continue for much of this week, workplace expert Acas, has offered some tips to help employers manage workplace challenges due to the hot weather. From a legal perspective, it advises that workplace temperatures should be reasonable as the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has stated that the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings must be reasonable. The HSE offers advice on how to carry out a thermal comfort risk assessment if employees complain about the temperature. Acas Senior Guidance Adviser, John Palmer, said: “Today’s sizzling weather may be ideal for the beach but staff getting into work on one of the hottest days of the year may not feel the same way. Certain workers may be adversely affected by the extreme heat such as pregnant women, elderly employees and Muslim staff that are currently fasting during Ramadan. Our advice offers some top tips for employers to help ensure their businesses remain productive during the heat wave whilst keeping staff happy too.”

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Businesses sound the alarm over Brexit as negotiations get under way

Businesses sound the alarm over Brexit as negotiations get under way 0

by • News, Workplace

The end of free movement of people from the EU will damage UK businesses and public service delivery unless post Brexit immigration policies take account of the need for both skilled and unskilled labour from the EU. This is a key message in new research from the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR). It also calls on businesses to broaden their recruitment and people development strategies to ensure they are doing all they can to attract and develop UK born workers, and highlights the need for significant changes to Government skills policy. The study joins a growing chorus of business leaders appealing for a rational approach to Brexit negotiations. Britain’s top business lobby groups have already come together to demand open-ended access to the European single market for as long as it takes to seal a final Brexit deal.

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