HR

While UK inflation has notably declined over the past year, the sharp rise in the cost of living in previous years continues to impact individuals and businesses. As a result, salary budgeting for 2025 might be a challenging task for companies. To provide a helpful resource for next year’s salary budgeting process, UK-based pay and reward consultancy 3R Strategy has now launched its 4th Global Salary Planning Report.

Employers are placing increasing importance on the Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) credentials of employee benefits providers when it comes to selecting a partner for their organisation, according to research conducted by GRiD, the industry body for the group risk sector.

The demand for specialised tech talent is rising sharply, with the International Data Corporation predicting that over 90% of companies will face IT skills shortages by 2026.

Startups are as vital as ever to the UK’s economy, with nearly 860,000 new companies registered at Companies House between 2022 and 2023.

Eighty-two percent of employers say they currently record sickness absence, a marginal improvement on the 80% that said the same in 2023 but not as many as the 85% who recorded sickness in 2022.

The first 100 days under the first Labour government since 2010 have now elapsed. These first 100 are often considered the most telling – and most important.

New research from Unmind reveals that almost half (45%) of UK women over the age of 55 don’t feel supported by their workplace. This is compared to a third (34%) of women of all other age groups.

Research from Towergate Employee Benefits reveals that one in five employers (20%) anticipate a growing need for female-specific support, particularly for menopause-related issues. In light of World Menopause Day on 18th October, the organisation is urging businesses to assess how they can meet this rising demand and provide effective support for employees navigating menopause.

Almost three quarters (73%) of UK business leaders make people management decisions using ‘gut feel’ rather than relevant data. That’s according to a new ‘Quick Thinking’ report from data streaming platform Confluent, which examines how UK business leaders make decisions using data.

Absenteeism affects all workplaces and costs them a significant amount in lost time and productivity. It is estimated 4.8 days a year are lost per employee in the UK, the highest rate of absenteeism in a decade. And it is important to note that this is not referring to authorised days off for holiday or sickness but rather the unexpected and unscheduled days or hours lost to other causes.

The duty on employers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled job applicants and employees was introduced by the Equality Act 2010. More commonly now termed as ‘workplace adjustments’, these refer to making changes to the way someone does their job to help remove the barriers they may experience.

Nearly three-quarters of businesses now provide employee wellbeing programmes, yet 83% of professionals reported experiencing mental health struggles at work within the past year, with over a quarter facing these challenges frequently.

Wages for full-time workers at British SMEs experienced a significant 8.2% rise over the past year, according to the first real-time salary report focused on these businesses. Employment Hero’s SmartMatch Employment Report analysed payroll data from 90,000 employees at SMEs across the UK, covering firms with up to 500 workers.

This World Mental Health Day, on Thursday 10th October 2024, Towergate Health & Protection is urging employers to take decisive action. With this year’s theme, “It’s time to prioritise mental health in the workplace”, the company is advocating for businesses to equip their employees with the tools and skills they need to take control of their mental wellbeing.

On World Mental Health Day, Christine Husbands, Commercial Director, RedArc is advising employers to ensure their mental health provision is up to scratch.

Despite growing awareness, there remains significant ignorance and stigma surrounding workplace mental health, as well as a lack of access to personalised support. This World Mental Health Day (10 October), Glenn Mason, Head of Adult Services at Onebright, focuses on the need to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to provide employees with the right support.

On World Mental Health Day, St John Ambulance, England’s first aid charity, has added its voice to global calls for workplaces to prioritise mental health first aid. This year’s theme is “Mental Health at Work,” highlighting the urgent need for businesses to act.

Global learning and talent development provider Hemsley Fraser has emphasised the urgent need for business leaders to equip their workforce with stronger “human skills” to thrive in a rapidly evolving work environment shaped by AI and other technologies.

A study by GRiD, the group risk sector body, has revealed that work-related stress and anxiety has become the leading health concern for most generational employee groups, except Gen X. This marks a shift from 2023, when financial worries topped the list for Gens X, Y (Millennials), and Z, and similarly in 2022 for Millennials and Gen Z.

Recruitment firm Michael Page, part of the FTSE 250-listed PageGroup, has unveiled its 2025 Salary Guides, shedding light on the pressing issues in the UK hiring market.