May 2024 HR News Roundup

Welcome to your HR news roundup for May. We make no apologies for this month’s articles being heavily weighted towards mental health awareness - and rightly so. The 13^th to 19^th May was Mental Health Awareness Week. Every UK employer should be taking action to improve their wellbeing provision. Read on to find inspiration from our carefully curated selection of stories with links to employee wellbeing, mental health, happiness and engagement.  

WorkWell pilot aims to tackle sick leave

The government has announced plans to pilot WorkWell, a new service to help people with health conditions stay in and return to work, in 15 areas across England from October 2024. The service will allow people with a health condition or disability to self-refer or be referred by a GP, employer or the community sector, to gain access to a local work and health coach and related support services. Critics of the scheme claim that it will not address the underlying reasons for long-term sick leave, which are often complex and varied.

8 tips to manage workplace personalities

New research from Bupa shows that British people are becoming increasingly fascinated by personality types and styles. Over the last five years, UK Google searches for ‘Workplace personality assessment’ have doubled, while searches for ‘Myers-Briggs’ assessment have increased sixfold. Understanding the different personality types within a team can help employees to become more productive and improve their relationships by using their skills and preferences more effectively. The article shares eight strategies for managing different personalities, including embracing differences and avoiding negative labelling. Please ask if you would like to explore the benefits of using personality assessments for your organisation. 

Travel makes for happier employees

As if we needed an excuse to take a holiday! Travel has officially been recognised as a brain tool that boosts creativity and self-belief by a study from UFC Travel. The report, ‘The Neuroscience of Travel’, found that stepping out of our comfort zone to interact with different cultures and surroundings enhances our mental health. Even the process of planning a holiday boosts our happy hormones, which in turn increases motivation, learning, concentration and satisfaction. Start searching for that dream holiday now!

Could introducing mental health days improve wellbeing?

It’s easy to celebrate mental health awareness days and weeks, but action means more. In reality, what steps are you taking to provide extra support to your employees?

Some organisations are extending their support for employees by offering mental health days as part of their broader wellbeing package. A mental health day is a day off work for rest and recuperation when people need it most. They are seen as a good way to reduce the stigma around self care and encourage people to open up about their mental health at work, as well as reducing the cost and impact of employee absence.

If you are thinking of introducing mental health days to complement wider wellbeing support, take care to clearly define your policy and ensure it is inclusive of all employees.

Should employees have time off for major sporting events?

With several major sporting events taking place over the coming months, including Wimbledon, Euro 2024, the Olympics and Paralympics, UK organisations are expecting a likely surge in annual leave requests. To avoid the risk of unscheduled staff absence, adopting a sporting events policy will help maintain a good level of staff cover and provide clarity for both employees and managers.

Some organisations may choose to screen major events in the workplace, bringing people together with benefits for employee engagement and wellbeing. If you choose not to show events, your policy needs to be clear whether employees are allowed to watch events during work time and the standards of behaviour that are expected. Please ask if you would like help developing a major events policy for your organisation.

Lack of understanding of different gender needs

HCML’s corporate health and wellbeing report has found that a lack of understanding of gender drivers in the workplace is negatively affecting workplace absence. An organisation’s ability to cater for gender specific challenges may impact the likelihood of an employee staying in their role. Unexpected absence and recruitment both have financial consequences, which the report calculates to be an average of £568 per employee from increased absence alone.

When it comes to health, men and women want different things from their employers. Examples of issues highlighted by the report include:

• Menopause support for females

• Support with weight issues for both men and women

• Help for men to improve their productivity at work

Employee retention is HR’s top challenge

Retaining skilled talent is the main challenge facing UK organisations right now. Ciphr carried out a survey of 300 HR decision-makers and just over half of respondents said that retention was their biggest concern. It’s a challenge affected by several broader issues including the cost of living crisis, a drive for better work-life balance and health and wellbeing support.

Do you agree with the findings? What is your biggest HR challenge at the moment? Please get in touch if you would like our expert advice.

Employees don’t discuss financial concerns at work

Nearly three quarters (74%) of people have not spoken to their employer about their financial concerns, a survey by financial wellbeing platform Wagestream found. This was despite 60% of people having reported that they worried about their finances at least once a week.

The top reason why employees wouldn’t discuss their finances at work is because they don’t want their employer to know they are struggling. Others said it was because they felt ashamed, feared discrimination, or simply didn’t trust their employer to have the conversation.

Trust is a key component in building an open and supportive culture where employees feel safe and comfortable speaking up about their individual concerns. Financial education and support services should form part of a wider employee benefits package, yet less than half of employers provide this. Ask your people what support they would like in order to provide more personalised support.