Reward news
Generating full value from employee benefits ACCORDING TO the Benefits Trends Survey from Willis Towers Watson, only 12% of UK businesses currently use organisational analytics to test effectiveness of programmes. However, the value of a data-driven approach appears to be understood by companies, as 62% claim it is important to design programmes that account for the specific needs of the workforce or drive behaviour change. A further 74% also believe it is important for them to benchmark programmes against competitors, and 76% say they will make use of organisational analytics within three years. Mark Ramsook, head of sales and marketing at Willis Towers Watson Health and Benefits, says: “Business intelligence is dependent on good data and the underuse of workplace health data is traditionally one of the biggest barriers preventing employee benefits from being used in a strategic manner. It is important to establish appropriate governance and processes for ongoing measurement to ensure effectiveness of benefits is continually assessed, taking into account changing workforce needs. This approach will allow benefits to have a positive impact in a variety of areas, including sickness absence and overall workforce wellbeing.”
Bad managers driving staff to quit RECENT RESEARCH from MHR reveals poor management is endemic in the British workplace, with 80% of employees having experienced what they consider poor management, or a poor manager, at least once during their career. The research also found that of the 73% of employees who had experienced poor management or a poor manager and had considered leaving their job, one in two (55%) did quit. Some respondents had experienced bullying, micro- management, aggressive and threatening behaviour from their managers during recent employment. Some described bad managers as often inexperienced, out of their depth, lacking necessary people skills, expressing favouritism, failing to offer recognition and feedback and failing to communicate effectively. Asked whether managers are equipped to deal with the human or emotional side of management, 58% of respondents said that they are not. As well as citing failure of managers to support employees suffering from anxiety or depression, several respondents claimed that their manager was directly responsible for causing decline in their mental health. Julie Lock, service development director at MHR, commented: “Managers promoted from within often struggle to make the transition from being everyone’s friend to being the boss, while managers appointed from outside an organisation often arrive wanting to prove their managerial abilities, but find it difficult to balance demonstrating authority with wanting people to like them. Being a good people manager requires a very specific skillset, the right training and effective internal processes that drive employee engagement. “The survey also exposes a worrying lack of awareness and understanding around mental health, with poor management sometimes directly responsible for causing mental health problems. This is unacceptable and exposes a worrying trend… Organisations need to focus on their duty of care for the health and wellbeing of their staff, including mental health.”
Supermarket sweep MORRISONS IS the latest supermarket chain, joining Tesco, ASDA and Sainsbury’s, subject to substantial equal pay compensation claims which relate to the difference in pay between workers on supermarket shop floors and those in associated distribution centres. Around 170 claimants, who are being represented by law firm Roscoe Reid working in partnership with workers’ rights specialists Pay Justice, say they have been underpaid almost £2 per hour dating back up to six years. It’s estimated there are up to 25,000 current and former workers who may have a claim across Morrisons’ 498 UK stores, and that compensation could amount to £100 million.
Mindfulness and employee creativity PARTICIPATION IN guided ten-minute mindfulness sessions makes employees more likely to generate original ideas, finds research from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (http://bit.ly/2vFNeL5). The research identifies a cost-effective way for managers to increase workplace creativity, as those participating generated a 22% wider range of ideas compared to the same number who took part in fake meditation or just ‘relaxed’. According to researchers Emma Schootstra, Dirk Deichmann and Evgenia Dolgova, mindfulness essentially removes our innate ‘fight or flight’ response, meaning that meditating participants feel significantly less restless, nervous and irritated, allowing them to focus on being creative. Dolgova observes that “Mindfulness meditation is not only an effective creativity booster, it is affordable, accessible and easy to organise in the workplace: all it needs is a quiet place, a comfortable chair and access to one of the many mindfulness exercises that can be found online or in apps.”
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | April 2018 | Issue 39 30
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