HR News Roundup - May 2023

Welcome to our May news roundup! The focus on Mental Health Awareness week (15-21 May) has offered up some excellent manager resources and talking points, and we’ve devoured them over a cup of coffee and a biscuit! For this blog, we’ve pulled together some of the best and most useful articles around the theme of mental health and happiness at work.

This month, the CIPD released the findings of three valuable research studies. The first looks at support provision for employees with fertility issues, the second examines the link between manager training and people experience, and the final one explores the impact of strike action on public sector vacancies. All three make very interesting reading.

Best Places to Work 2023 revealed

The Sunday Times has released its annual list of the Best Places to Work in the UK.  The workplace survey celebrates Britain's top employers and acknowledges the best workplaces for women, LGBTQIA+ community, disabled employees, ethnic minorities, younger and older workers, and wellbeing.

Amongst those topping the very big organisations list are PizzaExpress, Fatface, Veolia and David Lloyd Leisure. OVO was named the Best Place to Work for women and the Goring Hotel in London topped the list for employees aged 55+. Read the full list of 2023 winners

CIPD highlights lack of support

The CIPD has released the findings of research into support for employees experiencing fertility issues. The report looks at employer provision and employees’ experiences at work and provides practical guidance to help organisations develop a framework of effective support.

The research, which has been picked up by national media, raises questions around wellbeing provision for employees experiencing fertility challenges or treatments.

Key findings include:

• Only 27% of employers have a policy in place concerning fertility treatment

• Almost half (46%) of employees said they felt neither supported or unsupported at work while having fertility challenges

• A similar proportion (47%) didn’t tell their manager or HR they were experiencing fertility challenges.

The top three most helpful forms of support reported by employees were paid time off to attend appointments, understanding from managers, and paid compassionate leave.

Strike action impacting public sector recruitment

CIPD research suggests the continuing public sector strikes are having a huge impact on organisations’ ability to fill vacancies, particularly in the healthcare and education sectors. Expected pay awards have risen to 3.3% in an effort to attract new recruits and fill long-term vacancies. However, pay still falls short of private sector salaries.

According to Jon Boys, Senior Labour Market Economist at the CIPD, “Pay will be key for many people in the cost of living crisis, but employers should look beyond this to the full range of measures they can take to boost how they recruit and retain their employees.”

Better sickness absence monitoring required

GRID research has uncovered that monitoring of sickness and absence at work has reached its lowest level in three years, with the shift to hybrid working making it more difficult for employers to capture and record data.

23.3m working days are lost every year to burnout, mental ill health and work-related stress. Without complete records, it’s much harder for employers to spot the signs of employees who are struggling with mental health challenges. If your organisation would like advice on best practice in this area, please get in touch.

CIPD highlights lack of manager training

A CIPD study suggests that managers need better training and support to nurture happy, healthy and productive teams. We couldn’t agree more! The research also uncovers a direct link between the quality of people management and performance, health and wellbeing.

Retail employees are happiest at work

If you work in the retail sector, it’s quite possible you’re one of the happiest employees in the UK! A global study by Quinyx, surveying the experiences at work of 3,000 UK ‘deskless’ staff in frontline roles, found that retail employees feel most appreciated by their managers and are more likely to recommend a career in the sector.

Two thirds of retail employees believe their work is appreciated, up 7% from 2022, and a similar number said their job provides career development opportunities. The research also found that jobs in the retail sector offered employees more flexibility than roles in hospitality or logistics.

Cost of living impacts pension contributions

Financial worries can be a huge source of mental health problems, but it’s a subject rarely discussed at work. Workplace pension schemes are a valuable benefit in enabling employees to save for retirement, especially when you factor in additional employer contributions.

However, it seems the cost of living crisis is hampering UK employees’ ability to contribute to workplace pension schemes. According to research by Cushon, 5% of employees in large companies have opted out of their pension scheme in an effort to reduce non-essential spending.

To ensure employees have enough savings for retirement, Cushon is calling for employers to introduce financial education tools and support to encourage people to keep saving despite the current financial pressures. Are you providing sufficient support to employees?

How to spot anxiety in the workplace

HR Magazine shared this useful resource to help spot the symptoms of anxiety in the workplace, which also talks about the importance of creating an open culture where people can talk openly.

A similar article, addressing the key sources of workplace anxiety, was published by HR Review.

Further reading

For a more in-depth look at some of the topics mentioned in this post, take a look at our blogs on Financial Wellbeing, Female Menopause and Fertility Trends, and Mental Wellness.

How we can help you

If you’d like to discuss any of the issues raised in this blog, get in touch with us today on 0161 941 2426. We’re here to help.