February 10, 2020
More than half of the people in the UK classified as living in poverty are members of a working family. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s state of the nation report on poverty in the UK, poverty has risen for children and pensioners over the last five years. Although employment has increased, in-work poverty has also gone up because often people’s pay, hours, or both are not enough. (more…)
February 7, 2020
Some 47 percent of employees who care for both children and elderly relatives (sandwich carers) are keeping these responsibilities hidden from their employer, a survey from BHSF, a not-for-profit health and wellbeing provider, has suggested. With so many choosing to stay quiet about their outside commitments, the researchers warn that employers are left floundering in the dark when it comes to providing the most appropriate employee benefits to support their workforce. (more…)
February 7, 2020
Two surveys have highlighted continuing fears among freelancers about the changes to the IR35 rules due to take effect in April. The reforms will shift the responsibility for defining contractors’ tax status from the individual to the employer to crack down on so-called ‘disguised employment’, where off-payroll workers are able to pay less tax than employees. However, concerns have been raised that the rules could force organisations to bring genuine contractors and freelancers on to the payroll, reducing flexibility for both parties. (more…)
February 6, 2020
Three-quarters of UK employees who have experienced a mental health condition believe stigma around the issue has reduced over the past year but the vast majority would still not discuss their condition with their line managers, according to new research. Aviva’s “Health of the Workplace” report, released for Time to Talk Day, suggests that just 9 percent of employees who have had a mental health condition sought help from their line manager, 12 percent would discuss their condition with a work colleague and only 4 percent would talk to HR. (more…)
February 4, 2020
It’s not unreasonable for an employee diagnosed with cancer to look to their employer for assistance, but according to one support organisation, many employers handle the situation incredibly tactlessly. To coincide with World Cancer Awareness Day today, RedArc, which provides nurses for employees with serious or long-term health conditions, has issued a list of the worst things people with cancer reported hearing from their managers. Over the past year, its nurses logged statements such as, “Perhaps you should retire”, “You’ve had your treatment now, so you should be fine” and “How long will you be off?” (more…)
February 4, 2020
Outdoor workers in the capital are exposed to 15 percent more pollution than the average Londoner, new research has claimed. Over six months, the Canairy app developed by King College London gathered data from two groups of Londoners, some mostly working in offices and others mostly working outside. Both groups were exposed to high levels of air pollution but those working outside fared worst, being exposed to air pollution breaching guidelines for NO2, particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and ozone. Some maximum exposures were nearly two thirds higher than recommended World Health Organisation (WHO) limits. (more…)
February 3, 2020
Time spent in the great outdoors is worth abour£4.5 trillion a year in the improved mental health of people, according to results published by a team of researchers from Griffith University’s School of Environment and Science, Centre for Work Organisation and Wellbeing, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith Business School and School of Medicine. (more…)
January 31, 2020
Communicating a business’s “employee value proposition” or EPV – the package of rewards that it offers in return for the person’s performance at work – is having an increasingly positive impact on employee engagement, retention and recruitment, research has claimed. Aon’s Benefits & Trends 2020 Survey (registration required) suggests that although the percentage of employers who have, or are working towards, an EVP remains similar to last year (76 percent), the number that now communicate it to staff has increased. Of those employers that have an EVP, 77 percent now explain it to employees, an increase of 9 percent on 2019.
January 30, 2020
It may not always be evident to those working in logistics, but burnout doesn’t exist solely in supply chain recruitment – it’s a recognised condition which is having an impact across all industries and sectors. According to the Labour Force Survey, the UK lost 15.4 million working days in 2017/18 to work-related stress, depression or anxiety, with 239,000 new cases reported. Increasingly, severe cases are being recognised as ‘burnout’. (more…)
January 30, 2020
The promised flexibility of the gig economy is an illusion for many workers, who need to put in long hours to make ends meet, a new report has claimed. The report by Doteveryone, a think tank set up by businesswoman Martha Lane Fox, calls on the government to create a ‘minimum gig wage’ to ensure workers have enough to live on after expenses such as petrol. It also urges employers to be clearer with workers about their true pay and to inform customers where their money goes. (more…)
January 29, 2020
Two-thirds of employees believe class is an issue when it comes to securing a new job, with one in three saying they’ve been discriminated against because of it, a new study has claimed. In contrast, more than half of employers said they don’t think class discrimination is an issue when hiring. (more…)
January 29, 2020
Employers worried about rivals poaching their staff should be looking closer to home to spot their next competitor, a new study has claimed. In a survey of 3,000 UK employees by Synergy Creative, nearly half (47 percent) said that they would love to be their own boss, raising the prospect of them setting up in competition to their existing employer. Of those intending to find a new job in 2020, a third said their ideal job is to work for themselves, compared to 25 percent who are looking to move to another company. (more…)
