January 21, 2021

Furlough scheme should be extended ahead of the Budget, says CIPD

With six weeks still to go until the Chancellor’s Budget, the CIPD is urging the Government to act early to extend the furlough scheme to protect jobs, support incomes and enhance skills development. Its calls are outlined in a report called The Future of Furlough – Recommendations for now and for any future wage subsidy. In order to support smaller firms who don’t pay an apprenticeship levy, the CIPD is also recommending the creation of a furlough scheme training fund of up to £100 million, which would be funded from levy-paying firms’ expired levy funds that would otherwise go to HM Treasury. The CIPD estimates that this could pay for training or outplacement skills development support for nearly 160,000 workers in small firms. (more…)

January 19, 2021

A workplace divided: Employees split over COVID-19 vaccine

by Jayne Smith • Business, News, Wellbeing

Perceptyx, the employee survey and people analytics platform, has released new data focused on the role of the COVID vaccine in return to work scenarios. As the world nears 10 months of quarantine and other restrictions, organisations grapple with deciding if and when it will be safe for employees to return to the workplace. As vaccines are rolled out, organisations must tread a fine line with employees as there is a significant divide in perceptions around the vaccine. (more…)

January 14, 2021

Lockdown forces one-in-three working parents to lie to bosses about home schooling

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives

New research by MHR International, shows one-in-three working parents (33 percent) have lied to their boss about how they are coping with the balance between home schooling and work during the current lockdown. (more…)

January 12, 2021

Workers feel overworked as a result of the pandemic

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

Hardworking professionals are feeling the effects of longer working days and unpaid overtime, according to new research by law firm, Wright Hassall. The study claims that on average workers are performing nine or more hours of overtime in a given week, which totals more than one working day, compared to just three or more hours before the start of the pandemic. The research also claims that more than half (52 percent) are actually doing so without being paid for this. (more…)

January 8, 2021

Volunteering boosts employees during lockdown, research claims

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Workplace

As companies struggle to motivate teams working remotely, new research by the charity Education and Employers and the CIPD, claims that employers who support their staff with volunteering in schools and colleges has found employees to be more motivated, more productive and have a better sense of well-being. (more…)

January 8, 2021

Fewer than half of employees in Europe feel trusted at work

by Jayne Smith • News, Working culture

A new survey from Catalyst claims that only 46 percent of employees in Europe report often or always being trusted at work. This experience of being trusted is consequential; as the data highlights, when managers lead more inclusively, experiences of trust increase, and organisations as well as employees benefit. (more…)

January 7, 2021

Businesses warned of a looming crisis of trust from employees in 2021

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture, Working lives

Organisations face a crisis of trust this year if they continue to make workplace decisions in the dark, according to employee experience platform, Leesman. A study across 145,000+ global employees claims a series of acute factors impacting an employees’ ability to work remotely. (more…)

December 15, 2020

Preparing for a mental health epidemic is a shared responsibility

by Sheena Pirbhai • Comment, Wellbeing

With the continuous impact of the pandemic on people’s mental health due to isolation, work uncertainty, and anxiety over health, the topic has been dominating the news, begging the question of how we can achieve accessible and cost-effective treatment for all and prevent the expected acceleration of mental health issues in the coming months. As we juggle a different type of work-life balance brought about by working from home and the added worry of how the pandemic is affecting us, there is no doubt that our daily lives have been disrupted. The statistics are alarming; 60 percent of adults reported their mental health had gotten worse during the COVID-19 lockdown, and 51 percent said their mental health has got worse during this period. (more…)

December 15, 2020

The majority of employees admit to boozing while working from home

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

To say that 2020 has been a tough year is an understatement, and it appears that there has been an increase in the amount of alcohol being consumed whilst working from home since the pandemic began, according to Health and Safety software company Protecting.co.uk. (more…)

December 11, 2020

Firms should be aware of the legal implications of employee monitoring

by James Castro-Edwards • Comment, Flexible working, Technology, Workplace

Employee monitoring is an emotive topic. Businesses may wish to monitor their staff for a variety of reasons. For instance, they may wish to prevent the unauthorised disclosure of confidential or sensitive information, or detect attempts to steal valuable intellectual property. In the current conditions, dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, many businesses have opted to use automated means to monitor staff productivity. However, from an employee’s perspective, the use of monitoring software may be intrusive if not distressing. Further, if it has been implemented without regard to data protection law, it is potentially illegal. (more…)

December 11, 2020

Workers feel overworked as a result of the pandemic

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working lives

Hardworking professionals are feeling the effects of longer working days and unpaid overtime, according to new research by law firm, Wright Hassall. The research claims that the average worker is performing nine or more hours of overtime in a given week, which totals more than one working day, compared to just three or more hours before the start of the pandemic. What’s more, 52 percent are actually doing so without being paid for this. (more…)

December 11, 2020

COVID-19 causes cultural shift in UK organisations approach to employee health and wellbeing

by Jayne Smith • News, Wellbeing, Working culture

Research by employee benefits provider Unum, claims 86 percent of UK employers surveyed are changing their approach to employee health and wellbeing in light of the current pandemic. Almost all employers surveyed (95 percent) say it has impacted their need to make people feel more protected, with many focusing their health and wellbeing strategies on preventative measures, like mental health advice and support. (more…)