HR News June 2011

Welcome to the June issue of HR News. This month we look at the increase in mental health related illnesses in the workplace, what can you do as an employer to help? Interestingly a recent survey has shown that females are more likely to phone in sick, could this be due to a lack of childcare when their own children are sick? We also look at the new Agency Workers Regulations and the news that the majority of UK businesses are looking at individual pay freezes again this year, but are instead looking towards incentive and productivity bonuses or pay increases linked to performance.

Mental Health in the Workplace

In these tough economic times, it is usually the workforce that ends up doing more for less and for some bearing the brunt of employer's cutbacks.

The charity for mental health, MIND, believes that employers must do more to help the situation.

Love it or loathe it, most of us spend the greater portion of our lives at work and it should come as no surprise that what we experience every day in the office, workshop or on the factory floor can have an enormous impact on our well-being. Anyone who has spent time in a company where there is poor management, difficult communication, excessive workloads or even bullying will know how demoralising these issues are when they affect your work, day in, day out. Likewise, those of us with a good employer can feel that their job contributes to their satisfaction with life.

While for some employers the idea of satisfied employees seems like an add-on to business needs, the mood and culture of the workplace couldn't, in fact, be more crucial. Looking after your employees is a business responsibility, and has a huge impact on the productivity of staff, sickness absence levels, costs and profits of an organisation.

Right now, one worker in six experiences depression or anxiety at a time when the issue of workplace mental health has never been more pertinent. In these times of economic hardship, companies are under increasing pressure to stretch resources and boost productivity, and these strains are being passed on to staff.  For employers, this should be a major concern. However, a wealth of research has shown that many employers aren't even aware of the extent of the problem, and seven in 10 have no mental health policy. For employees, workplace mental health remains the elephant in the room - staff can't disclose their mental ill health to their employers for fear of the consequences, employers don't acknowledge the scale of the issue and all the while poor mental health and well-being are draining the economy of billions of pounds every year.

So what can you as employers do the help?

Creating a supportive environment is the first step. Create an open environment where employees can speak up about their stress and mental health problems. In many workplaces it is currently "taboo" and people are terrified of bringing it up. MIND's research found that employees not only feared they would be perceived as weaker than others for mentioning stress, but that they would be put first in line for redundancy in an organisational shake-up. This fear is not unsubstantiated - MIND found that of those who disclosed mental distress to their employer, a staggering one in five have either been sacked or forced to quit. It is evident that this stigma must stop and that employers should embrace an environment where employees can talk openly about their concerns without the fear of the repercussions.

Agency Workers Regulations

Ahead of the October deadline when the new Agency Workers Regulations Act comes into force, it seems that many employers are still not prepared or planning for this new Act.

Under the Agency Workers Regulation rules, agency workers will be entitled to the same basic pay and benefits as permanent employees, including holiday entitlement and childcare facilities, after 12 weeks continuous work.
 
Recent research from the CIPD revealed that only 13 per cent of temporary workers would see their pay and benefits upgraded when assignments under 12 weeks and existing pay levels were taken into account.
More than 40 per cent of employers are still considering how to respond, and almost half again yet to think about the changes at all, the onus was on recruiters to talk to their clients.

Employers still freezing pay

A recent survey by the CIPD shows greater emphasis on performance linked pay increases, but with one in four employers still freezing pay altogether.

Two-thirds of employers have, or are planning to, increase base pay in 2011, while a further 9 per cent have delayed their pay review for this year.
Market rates were considered the most important factor in determining pay levels, while the ability to pay was the crucial issue for one in four.
A greater proportion of organisations are using performance-related pay schemes, with merit rises and individual bonuses, the most common forms.

In the context of public-sector spending cuts and cautious economic growth in parts of the private sector, it's not surprising that not all organisations have been in a position to make a pay award this year.
In this competitive environment it may be more effective for employers to focus on linking pay rises and bonuses to employee and organisational performance.

Motivate and retain your best employees with TeamSpirit Human Resources Software 

Report claims that women take more time off work sick than men

Benenden Healthcare Society Researchers found men fail to make it to the office for a total of five months during their career, while women take seven months of sick days, with stomach bugs, dizziness and viruses the most common ailments.

But despite the figures, it emerged women are more likely to 'try their hardest to make it to their desk' and 'feel guilty' if they succumb to a day in bed and increasing their collegaues workload. Interestingly, men though  are more likely to be called up by their boss because of their poor track record. Four in ten men admitted to calling in sick the moment they feel ill, a quarter have been called up by their boss and men are more likely to take the easy route out and text or email their manager, rather than phone in. Eight in ten men said they try their best to make it into work, compared to nine in ten women. Four in ten feel guilty leaving their colleagues in the lurch and just half worry about workloads when they're tucked up in bed.

The Benenden study of 1000 men and 1000 women asked them about their attitudes and behaviours towards feeling ill, having to take time off work - and drew gender comparisons. It found the average adult takes three and a half days off work a year because of illness - or 141 during their working life - with men taking 140 and women 189.

The report also revealed men will ring in sick for more minor illnesses such as hay fever, sore throat and headache, while women stay in bed with symptoms such as vomiting, flu and high temperature.

Women are usually the principal carer for children and if a child is sick they may take time off 'sick' to look after the child. If managers do more to find out why employees were off sick, they may be able to come up with alternative solutions and support mechanisms that can help reduce overall sickness absence, with working from home often the answer.

Streamline staff absences with TeamSpirit Human Resources Software