All Opinion articles – Page 50
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OpinionNick Willis: Employers need to join the debate on employment status to avoid potential penalties
The government’s response to the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices was issued on 7 February 2018, comprising of four separate consultation papers on workers’ rights. An immediate reaction is to think that we have a very long way to go before some very basic questions on employment status are ...
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OpinionSally Hart: How should global employers tailor their benefits to compliment state provisions?
Even in stronger economies, the days when employees could rely on state provisions are over. Across the world, state pensions are under pressure with retirement ages increasing, or proposed to increase, in many countries. The situation for healthcare is no better; funding is tight and services are under pressure. Most ...
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OpinionJulia Hanna: Financial fitness is a win-win for employers and employees
There is increasing evidence that financial anxiety impacts mental, physical and social wellbeing. This, in turn, impacts attendance and performance at work.With stagnant wages, increased life expectancy, and an uncertain economy and job prospects, according to PWC’s Employee financial wellness survey, published in April 2015, about a third of us ...
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OpinionJonathan Watts-Lay: Helping employees to focus on their finances
It is not uncommon for employees to face financial worries at various stages of their life, whether that is dealing with debt, concerns over retirement savings or making their monthly budget work.The link between debt, money worries and stress, lower productivity and absenteeism are increasingly recognised by employers and many ...
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OpinionBen Willmott: Improving the modern world of employment with the Taylor report
The increase in self-employment over the last few years plus the rise of the ‘gig economy’ has seen an increasing debate about the pros and the cons of these so-called atypical working arrangements. A key issue has been employment status and rights because many people are not clear on what ...
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OpinionClaire Carey: How can employers and trustees prepare for GDPR?
On 25 May 2018, a new data protection law will come into force across Europe aimed at creating a uniform set of requirements fit for the digital age. While much of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will feel familiar, some important changes are on the way. With fines of ...
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OpinionCatherine Rickard: Student loan repayment help recognises employees' wider financial situations
Major changes associated with expanding higher education provision have increased the levels of debt held by millennials as they enter the labour market, as well as the number of people affected by such immediate debt.Projections have shown that graduates will be paying off student debt well into their 40s and ...
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OpinionHelen Undy: How can employers help employees improve their financial resilience?
While employees might try their best to leave their problems at the door when coming to work, we all know it is not realistic. Employees are human beings; when under financial pressure, behind on bills or being contacted by creditors, they underperform at work and their mental health can be ...
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OpinionDuncan Brown: Reward strategies must bring value to both employers and employees
‘We don’t have a reward strategy anymore’, a well-respected benefits director told me about this time last year. ‘We wait to hear what the Chancellor says in the Budget’. Certainly in this current highly uncertain, volatile, pre-Brexit period, with record low levels of unemployment and widespread skill shortages, and increasing ...
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OpinionKate McGough: How does Carillion's situation impact employment law?
In January 2018, various Carillion organisations went into liquidation, putting at risk around 20,000 jobs in the UK.In a normal liquidation, the impact on the organisation's employees is quite drastic. The organisation stops trading straight away and its employees are automatically redundant at the same time. If the organisation cannot ...
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OpinionKatie Streeter-Hurle: How can employers create an engaging workplace culture?
Today’s employees have growing expectations of the organisation they work for. For ambitious organisations, engagement has got to be top of the agenda in order to attract the best talent and to retain them over time. So what does it take to create an engaging workplace culture in 2018?Employers have ...
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OpinionStephen Haynes: Changing views on mental health
While the construction industry has made significant inroads into safety in recent decades, there has been less focus on the ‘health’ in health and safety. However, in recent years the industry has united to improve focus on health, and one of the areas in which we have seen increased attention ...
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OpinionChris O'Sullivan: Digital mental health interventions need more investment
In recent years, we have seen a proliferation in digital mental health tools, and a challenge on the part of researchers and innovators to adequately evidence the efficacy of these new tools. These challenges both inhibit progress, and create a risk that ineffective, or even damaging, tools are adopted. In ...
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OpinionNick Hobson: How can employers ensure a smooth transition into a post-Brexit world?
On 23 June 2016 the UK voted to leave the European Union (EU) and the political and economic landscape changed irrevocably.Approximately 2.8 million European economic area (EEA) nationals live and work in the UK, according to a Home Office white paper published in January 2017, and the UK government has ...
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OpinionCaroline Rook: Employers need to identify mental health issues among employees
Employee health and stress prevention programmes are in place in many organisations across the UK. Organisations agree that there is a clear business case for the role that wellbeing plays in job performance and overall productivity.The taboo of mental health and stress in the workplace is slowly being broken but ...
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OpinionHelen Smith: Stop mental health becoming a tick-box culture
With a growing national emphasis on mental health, UK employers have never had a better opportunity to start a conversation with their employees about their mental wellbeing.Our Mental health in the workplace report, published in November 2017, found that seven in 10 employees have suffered from a condition related to ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Is cutting male pay the solution to gender pay inequality?
Would you agree to a cut in pay if it meant others within your organisation could enjoy a rise, thus placing you all on a more equal footing?This may not sound like a particularly appealing or realistic option, however strongly they may feel against pay inequality. Yet, several BBC presenters ...
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OpinionHelen Ball: What do employers need to consider regarding master trust authorisation?
Employers which currently use, or are thinking of using, a master trust to provide pensions for their employees could be affected by an upcoming change in the law.From October, existing master trusts will need to apply for authorisation from The Pensions Regulator or, if not, wind up and transfer members ...
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OpinionPatrick Woodman: Creating an attractive workplace culture must become a strategic priority
In December 2017, Glassdoor announced its 50 Best Places to Work 2018 based on a survey of hundreds of thousands of employees. The organisations topping the list range from blue-chip FTSE 100s and global technology behemoths, through to regional logistics small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It is a disparate bunch ...
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OpinionJo Moffatt: Benefits packages must be properly communicated to engage employees
A true story.A boardroom north of Milton Keynes.“Right guys. We’ve just signed off on a brilliant new benefits package, helping improve our people key performance indicators, as well as saving us money.”“Great. How are we launching it?”“Luckily, we don’t really have to do anything. The benefits provider has thrown in ...