Opinion – Page 8
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OpinionChristopher Hitchins: The impact of The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act 2023
In a bid to address the new types of working patterns that are associated with the gig economy, the government’s long-awaited private members’ bill entitled The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act 2023 has received Royal Assent in the House of Lords.The bill, which forms part of the government’s 2017 ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: The power of strong ESG credentials
How far do your employer’s values and ethics align with your own? And to what extent does this consideration influence your decision to accept a role with an organisation?Research published this week by recruitment firm Resource Solutions found more than a third (39%) of respondents over the age of 55 ...
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OpinionSarah Clay: Should pension schemes trace missing members?
Many pension schemes will have missing members to whom benefits are due but cannot be paid as they are not contactable.As people move house, change their name or change their contact details, they may update as many organisations as they can with their new details. But what happens if they ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Supporting staff who are childless not by choice
This week (11-17 September) is World Childless Week, which is aimed at raising awareness of those who are childless not by choice.According to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in January 2022, in the UK, 18% of women who reach the end of their childbearing years do ...
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OpinionDanielle Ayres: How employers can ensure future resilience for workplace absences
It is crucial to ensure employers have crystal clear practices and policies for managing employee absences. Employers which properly invest in handling absences in the right way will see a marked improvement in staff performance, retention, productivity and business resilience.Absence management is central to ensuring ongoing business operations, helping minimise ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Dreaming of enhancing sleep quality
Do you get enough sleep? This is a question I frequently ask of myself, especially since becoming a parent five years ago. If it isn’t children waking in the night, good intentions for an earlier bedtime are often thwarted by a seemingly never-ending list of household chores, life admin and ...
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OpinionKris Weber: The impact of BBC v Christina Burns on pension costs
BBC v Christina Burns concerns the ability of employers to amend their old-fashioned and prohibitively expensive defined benefit pension schemes to make cost-saving changes. Often this is done by closing a scheme to future accrual, so members no longer earn any further benefits in it. The court said the BBC ...
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OpinionHelen Burgess: Back to school and the impact on employees
It’s nearly that time of year again where parents and their children start planning for the return to or start of school. The school day and the typical 9am to 5pm working schedule are not aligned and parent employees may request to change their start and finish times permanently, or ...
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OpinionTony Ark: Invesco supports UK workforce with comprehensive health benefits
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has long recognised that great health and wellbeing is a core enabler of employee engagement and organisational performance. Promoting wellbeing by taking a proactive approach to benefits that help prevent stress and create a positive working environment is therefore a priority for ...
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OpinionAmanda Trewhella: Supporting employees with menstrual health and menopause transition
Women’s health, and in particular the menopause transition, is a topical issue that has finally received significant coverage in the media during the last year or so.In the UK there are currently no legal regulations specifically requiring employers to provide support to people affected by menstruation issues or the menopause. ...
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OpinionLee McIntyre-Hamilton: How to make cross-border remote working successful
Cross-border remote working has never been easier for employees. However, the same cannot be said when it comes to employer compliance.First and foremost, employers need to ensure that their employees have the legal right to work in the overseas country. Employees may need a visa or work permit. Also, employees ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Does Zoom's return to the office really spell the end for remote working?
The hybrid/remote working debate reared its head again this week, following the news that video communications company Zoom has ordered employees back to the office. Stating that it believed a structured hybrid approach to be most effective, the organisation has mandated that employees based within 50 miles (80km) of an ...
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OpinionBeth Brown: High Court calls into question amendments to contracted out pension schemes
Anyone involved with pension schemes which contracted out on a salary-related basis after 1997 will want to be aware of a recent High Court ruling which could impact their scheme.In Virgin Media v NTL Trustees and others, the High Court held that the absence of a Section 37 certificate invalidated ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Do lazy girl jobs have a place in today's workplaces?
It isn’t very often a phrase stops me in my tracks. Over the past few weeks, however, the Tik-Tok trend for “lazy girl jobs” has done just that. Coined by several content creators, the term is used to refer to jobs that are deemed undemanding but well paid. Typically, these ...
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OpinionChris Kisby: Key considerations around overseas working
For many, the idea of working from another country, be that permanently or for a short period, is a very tempting one, but there are considerations for when an employee makes a request to move abroad.It might be that an employer already has an office in the country where an ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Should the Flexible Working Bill go further?
When the Flexible Working Bill received Royal Assent last week, many commentators, particularly parental rights campaigners, hailed this as a huge step forward.In a nutshell, the new legislation makes several changes to the way flexible working requests will work in practice, including:Giving employees the right to make two flexible working ...
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OpinionNeha Lugg and David Lorimer: How to make work events that involve alcohol more inclusive
Alcohol-free is fast becoming not only a religious or cultural choice, but a lifestyle choice. There have also been a significant number of alarming headlines demonstrating the role that alcohol has played at workplace events, resulting in harassment or other inappropriate behaviour, and significant reputational harm.Employers should look at workplace ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Are employers meeting employees' ESG expectations?
At a time when the cost-of-living crisis means higher pay is a focus for many employees, it is testament to the ever-increasing focus on sustainability that nearly half (48%) of employees hailing from generation Z say they would consider leaving a job if their employer did not demonstrate action on ...
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OpinionPaula Squire: The issues surrounding work-from-anywhere policies
With flexible, remote and hybrid working now the norm within many UK businesses, the concept of work from anywhere has begun to take off, with employers fielding increasing requests from workers who want to pack up their laptop and log on from a tropical beach or a new bustling city.This ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: It's good to talk
When was the last time you spoke to each member of your team? And how about colleagues from other departments across the business?This week, it was really brought home to me how easy it is to feel that you have been in touch with colleagues and friends, without actually speaking ...