What's been in the news
If you follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook, you will know that we regularly publish news that we think you will find interesting, of use or insightful. Please click on the links to go to our social platforms.
Below are links to news posted in recent months and where you can find past years:
October 2024
HR News
Article
This article on HR News reports on new research that UK office workers are happy to work at least some days in the office.
Working some days from the office promotes happiness, new research finds
People Management
People Management magazine reports of Rose Davies, an NHS administrator who experienced reduced ability to concentrate in noisy environments following a brain haemorrhage, and was awarded £27,208.74 by an employment tribunal.
BBC
How can AI transform an unproductive meeting; turning it from being a pointless exercise into something of value?
HSE
Monitoring screen time ensures a healthy work-life balance, prevents burnout, and reduces the risk of health issues such as eye strain or repetitive strain injuries.
HR News
Identifying these 6 sick leave patterns is crucial for business success. "If you notice a concerning pattern of sick leave, it’s important to have a sensitive conversation with your employee."
6 shocking sick leave patterns employers need to watch out for
September 2024
People Management
Article
Excessive workloads and the resulting pressure this puts upon workers, both physically and mentally could lead to burnout. How can HR departments identify or prevent it? This article in People Management magazine offers some insight.
What elite footballers’ burnout warnings mean for other workplaces
Personnel Today
Personnel Today reports on a clear gap between what employers feel about the handling of conflict resolution compared with their employees.
It's clear that employers may need to re-evaluate their conflict resolution procedures. The focus should be on prompt and fair action - a long drawn out process only adds more stress to the employee and increases costs to the organisation.
Only a third of staff feel workplace conflicts fully resolved
August 2024
HR Magazine
Article
Research done by Breathe who surveyed 1,000 UK employees and resulted in findings including:
- 65% of respondents did not use their full annual leave allowance
- 17% of respondents recorded an average of 5 or more days of unused holiday
HR World
Recruitment specialist Michael Page's second annual Talent Trends report has uncovered a mismatch in workplace expectations on a wider scale, with UK workers and employers misaligned on salaries, work-life balance, and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives.
July 2024
HR News
Article
Information coming from a study: The New Ageing Index, 2024, from Home Instead, the UK’s largest private provider of home care.
The project was an attempt to discover what older age in 2024 really looks like and over a third of all respondents (35%) believe being old is like being cancelled.
Personnel Today
How does an employer strike the right balance when communicating with an employee on sick leave? There must be adequate support with a consistent and reasonable approach explains Rhys Wyborn writing in Personnel Today.
Unwanted contact during sick leave: What are the boundaries?
BBC
A new pilot with employers also trying flexible start and finish times, a nine-day fortnight, and compressed hours.
HR Magazine
Those advocating a four-day working week are hoping the new government will pay attention to the 'extremely positive' evidence of its benefits.
This article in HR magazine also reports of another trial in the autumn.
SHOnline
Head of Global Relations at RoSPA and published on the SHP website today states how vehicle-related deaths and injuries are preventable if employers take the right steps to assess risks and implement the right control measures.
June 2024
Mind Tools
Article
Empathy is the ability to recognise emotions and to share perspectives with other people.
When applied in the workplace, it helps to trust and strengthen relationships.
May 2024
Personnel Today
Article
This case demonstrates a claim of associative discrimination. Sales executive, David Graham has been awarded £90,000 after he was dismissed because his wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
BBC
T Levels were introduced in September 2020 as a result of the 2016 Sainsbury Review which found that there was a need to improve and simplify technical education in England. However, there is still some concern that awareness remains low among young people, parents and employers.
As a vocational equivalent to doing three A-levels, if you're looking to hire this summer, this BBC article is a good introduction.
April 2024
HR News
Article
Starting your Monday and WFH? Boost your productivity and motivation by giving your workspace a makeover! This article from HR News may help inspire.
People Management
Published this week sees new guidance by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the CIPD advising managers on how to better support employees with disabilities.
New advice on hiring people with disabilities: an employer’s guide
March 2024
Retail Gazette
Article
As Asda announces updates to its IT system created payroll issues for thousands of its employees, Retail Gazette reports that errors in specific holiday calculations were central to the problem.
Asda are not alone: according to research by MHR last year, some 88% of the companies in the study reported payroll errors - resulting in employees either not being paid correctly or on time.
Retail Gazette reports on issues surrounding Asda's new payroll system
Harvard Business Review
It's fair to say we've experienced a cultural shift in terms of our attitudes towards work since the pandemic.
As to what this means for organisations, leaders, teams and employees, Harvard Business Review reports on the analysis of 69 articles focused on the management implications of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Institute for the Future of Work
The Institute for the Future of Work has conducted research into the impact of AI technology on workers’ quality of life. The study found that the relationships between technology and how we view our quality of life are both positive and negative.
It would seem that the ‘newer’ technologies, namely AI, wearables and robotics still have some way to go in convincing us that their application is beneficial and not a cause of stress, insecurity and anxiety.
New research looks at the impact of AI technology on workers’ quality of life
Personnel Today
HR teams are going to be kept very busy ensuring the changes to UK employment legislation are put into action from April. Flexible working arrangements, paternity leave, national living wage increases, carer's leave, cuts to national insurance - the list is a challenging one at an already busy time in our calendar.
The Guardian
The Guardian reports on EY's latest data showing job growth in the UK with London and the South East growing at a faster rate than other regions around the country.
February 2024
Employee Benefits
Article
Employee Benefits reports on the government’s recent announcement that the occupational health arena is to get an overhaul - with a new framework to make improvements to its service provision.
Read more about the changes proposed and how it plans to help businesses meet the challenge of absenteeism whilst supporting employees experiencing ill health.
Department for Work and Pensions announces shake-up for occupational health
Personnel Today
Personnel Today reports on CIPD's latest Labour Market Outlook report with HR professionals experiencing significant challenges in attracting the right candidates to positions in their organisations.
Of the 2,000 employers surveyed, 38% had hard-to-fill vacancies, with the public sector finding this more of a struggle (51% said it was a major concern) than the private sector (at 34%).
BBC News
This week is National Apprenticeship Week.
Internet services business, Evolving Networks, in collaboration with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, is encouraging more businesses to see the benefit of offering apprenticeship schemes
Internet services company extols the benefits of apprenticeship programmes
January 2024
Independent
Article
The food retail company has announced it will be making changes to the working terms set up in 2020 for personnel at their Bradford head office.
In addition to 37.5 hours worked over 4 days in the week, staff were also required to work one Saturday in 4 (a total of 13 in a year). In reaction to dissatisfaction from employees concerning the weekend-working, Morrisons will now ask staff to work 4 and half days in the week.
Workplace Insight
In a recent survey by Ciphr, employees were asked to rate the productivity of their colleagues.
Workplace Insight reports that employees were more likely to rate higher productivity rates for those that worked with them closely, whilst those who worked remotely, worked in senior management, marketing or HR were rated less productive.
Proximity bias may account for how we evaluate the productivity of our colleagues
BBC News
A comparison of sickness rates across Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales shows rates of 2.7%, 2.5%, 3% and 2.6% respectively for 2022.
The report by Ulster University Economic Policy Centre cites accidents, poisoning, infections and skin disorders being the most common reasons for employee absence, making up 26% of all absences.
SHP - Health and Safety News
Only 15% of organisations in the UK have a fire risk assessment in place for lithium-ion battery devices which are in their premises.
That’s according to research by IFSEC and Firechief® Global and covered by SHP - Health and Safety News.
Research shows lack of fire risk assessments for lithium-ion battery devices
People Management Magazine
A new study looking at organisations which allow smartphones in the workplace has shown their presence reduce stress levels without impacting on productivity.
It's suggested that there should be policies in place to direct when smartphones shouldn't be in operation - in meetings, quiet areas and such like, but it would appear that a blanket ban can potentially do more harm than good.
Smartphones for personal use - should they be allowed in the workplace?
CIPD HR-inform
Back in the summer of last year, the UK government proposed changes to paternity leave allowing fathers or partners to potentially split their leave into 2 blocks of 1 week, take leave and pay at any point in the first year (and not just the first 8 weeks) and amend how notice of leave and pay was handled.
UK government publishes draft regulations on paternity leave
People Management Magazine
People Management reports on the rate for National Insurance Contributions which dropped from 12% to 10% on 6 January and discusses the real impact on both employers and employees.
Changes to National Insurance Contributions (NICs) came into effect this month