March 16, 2020

Higher female state pension age causes an increase in older women at work

The number of women aged between 60 and 64 in work has increased by 51 percent since the 1995 Pensions Act came into effect which increased the female state pension age from 60 to 65 since 2010, claims research from Rest Less, a jobs, volunteering and guidance site for the over 50s.

Between October and December 2009, there were 644,674 women aged between 60 and 64 in work. In the same period in 2019, there were 976,376 women aged between 60 and 64 in work – an increase of 331,702 or 51 per cent. This contrasts with an increase of only 127,882 (or 13 percent) in the number of men working aged between 60 and 64 over the same period. (more…)

March 3, 2020

Too afraid to raise a workplace issue?

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

Over half of American workers feel they have no one to turn to with a workplace issue, claims new research. The survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Bambee asked 2,000 employed Americans about their thoughts toward human resources departments and who they would go to if they had an issue in the workplace. Thirty-two percent of those surveyed without a human resources department or representative said they don’t know who they would go to with questions or concerns — or wouldn’t go to anyone at all. (more…)

February 13, 2020

Take-up of shared parental leave set to boom

by Jackie Le Poidevin • News, Workplace

Employers should prepare themselves for a dramatic rise in staff taking shared parental leave, a new research report into shifting attitudes to flexible working and childcare for working parents has claimed. While only 7 percent of employees with children have taken up the opportunity of shared parental leave so far, 38 percent of those planning to have further children intend to do so when they have their next child, YouGov polling of 1,000 employees and 500 HR decision makers suggests. (more…)

February 11, 2020

Gig economy ruling threatens business model of Uber and others

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

The ongoing worldwide friction between legislators and firms operating in the “gig economy” was evident this week as a US judge denied Uber and Postmates a temporary reprieve from California’s new gig worker law. The ruling comes as a setback for both companies as the legislation has the potential to undermine their business models. (more…)

February 7, 2020

Half of ‘sandwich carers’ keep responsibilities hidden

by Jackie Le Poidevin • News, Wellbeing

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…)

January 28, 2020

Equal pay: women too polite to ask for more money

by Jackie Le Poidevin • News, Workplace

Millions of women could be missing out on higher salaries as 82 percent never negotiate their pay when applying for jobs, new research has claimed. The fear of being “rude” or “ungrateful”, compounded by concerns from 21 percent that asking for equal pay could jeopardise benefits such as maternity leave or flexible working, is silencing women when it comes to money, the survey of 1,000 working women suggests. (more…)

January 17, 2020

HR struggles to develop high-quality leadership talent

by Jackie Le Poidevin • Business, News

More than one-third of HR chiefs are struggling to develop effective senior leaders and only half of 2,800 surveyed leaders believe they are well-equipped to provide the leadership to guide their company in the future, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc. Efforts to tackle the emerging issues of the 2020s and beyond – including public pressure for business transparency, the rise of automation and the creation of never-before-seen jobs – will be fruitless unless HR managers find ways to nurture and retain capable future leaders, the research and advisory company concludes. (more…)

October 29, 2019

Workplace values matter more than career progression to young dads

by Han Son Lee • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing

With recent research showing that over half of young dads (58 percent) are more actively involved in day to day parenting than ever before, it is increasingly important that employers put health and wellbeing and other workplace values at the heart of their offer to employees. In particular, they should be able to offer flexible working options in order to retain their best staff. Our research looking at the Millennial Dad at Work also highlighted starkly that some business sectors are more accommodating than others when it comes to flexible working. Perhaps surprisingly, the construction industry came out of the research very well with 48 percent requesting a change in working hours since becoming a father of which 78 percent of those were successful. The retail sector and the pharmaceutical industry also did well. (more…)

October 15, 2019

Flexible working could improve mental health and lives of fathers

by Mark Eltringham • Flexible working, News

Men feel frustrated in their jobs and discriminated against at work and want a better balance between work and family life in much the same way as women, according to the results of the annual survey by workingdads and workingmums. One in four dads said they’d had time off work due to mental illness, with a third of those citing the stress of work and home. Around half of working dads said their career had stalled since they became a father. Almost 70 percent admitted they feel stuck in their current role because they fear they wouldn’t be able to find another job with the amount of flexible working they need. (more…)

September 26, 2019

Working mums feel trapped by lack of flexible working

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Despite the fact that all UK employees have the right by law to request flexible working options once they have been at a company for 26 weeks, more than three-quarters of working mothers feel trapped in their current job because they worry about finding another with enough flexibility, a new survey from workingmums.co.uk claims. In the poll of more than 2,000 parents , 80 percent of mothers said they felt stuck in their current role because they didn’t feel confident they would find another one with the amount of flexibility they needed. The majority of mothers (57 percent) said their career had not progressed since they had children. (more…)

September 19, 2019

Workers want firms to do more about air quality

by Neil Franklin • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Wellbeing

Flexible working, sharing information about local clean air routes and incentivising active travel are just some of the ideas being put to businesses today as new research suggests employers need to do more to address the issue of air quality and pollution for staff both in the workplace and on their commute. (more…)

September 16, 2019

Working mums call for more flexible work options

by John Williams • Comment, Flexible working, Workplace design

Women are a key part of a growing contingent workforce of freelancers, consultants and part-timers. Despite numerous government policies to attract more mothers back into the workplace, retention is still a significant struggle. Several data collected indicates working mums who return part-time, combining professional careers with raising a family, are increasingly frustrated. The research shows that the modern workplace often fails to cater for the needs of mothers and carers as they face the pressures of combining busy working lives with lifestyle and family obligations.

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