(PR in) HR Pulse | HR News Round-up: 23th – 29th October 2023
Photo by Mr Cup / Fabien Barral on Unsplash
Supporting employee’s WFH while caring for children
Capital One UK has found that the majority (87%) of parents working from home (WFH) are balancing caring for their children while working - most (85%) parents also work in the same room as their children.
The majority (91%) of parents WFH say they find it difficult to balance work and childcare responsibilities.
This research reveals that many parents WFH incorporate completing domestic tasks such as cleaning (56%), cooking (55%), scheduling family mealtimes (53%), helping with homework (44%) and doing the weekly food shop (44%) while working.
Over a third (37%) of parents say they find it easier to concentrate on working in-office full-time but nearly two-thirds (64%) say childcare costs are too high, made worse by the cost of living crisis. Due to these high costs, more than a quarter (28%) have reduced how often they pay for child care.
Three-quarters (73%) of parents also say they find working during school holidays incredibly difficult.
Lindsey Doe, Managing Director of Vivup’s FamilyCare, says, “It's important to remember that people working from home with children are not only distracted and likely less productive, but also feeling a great deal of employee and parental guilt. They're trying to juggle their family and work and there is no balance to be had. It's a game of continual catch-up, they'll likely be working in the evenings after childrens' bedtimes which can lead to a rise in burnout, stress, anxiety and illness - impacting employer absence and productivity.”
She adds: “This issue may well be impacted by the male/female divide too, as many mothers take on the primary caring role. And let's not forget the impact on the child.”
Doe explains: “From an employer's perspective, it creates presenteeism issues and without doubt, productivity losses.”
“Yet recognising the reality and pressures of work may be the best thing in this situation, as is understanding why this phenomenon is happening and exploring ways to support employee - and employer - needs.”
“Along with likely burnout and absence issues, employers could lose good people over this - meaning an uplift in recruitment, onboarding and training costs. Parents will naturally choose their family's needs over an employer's if their situation becomes untenable.”
Source: Daily Mail.
New definitions of presenteeism help organisations understand it
A recent study by Robertson Cooper showed that working while ill is more complicated than just presenteeism. The study found that it can be classified into three different types of working - two of which are beneficial for employers.
The research surveyed c3,000 UK respondents and found that nearly two-thirds (60%) of employees have experienced presenteeism in the past three months.
The study also found that working while unwell can decrease productivity by nearly half (40%) - if this happens for more than four days within three months it is as harmful to overall productivity as absenteeism - when an employee is regularly absent from work.
The Seeing Presenteeism Differently report says the three forms of working while ill are:
Pragmatic presence - when employees work close to or at full capacity while recovering from their health issues, to various degrees.
Therapeutic presence - when employees perform below maximum productivity but find the act of working therapeutic.
Sir Cary Cooper, Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at the Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, says this re-evaluation of presenteeism is a breakthrough for businesses as it can help companies better understand what presenteeism truly entails, its effects on workplace performance, and how to manage it more efficiently.
He adds that by debunking previous ideas, a door has opened to explore more well-informed initiatives that enhance productivity and nurture a workplace culture centred on employee health and wellbeing.
Steve Herbert, Wellbeing and Benefits Director at Partners&, says, this research supports HR professionals' previous assumptions that presenteeism is more complex than previously thought. He adds that while there are cases where attending work can worsen an employee's condition or be a risk to others, flexible working arrangements can often help in these situations.
Research from the CIPD found that last month, nearly half (41%) of employers attempted to stop presenteeism - this figure has dropped by 12% since last year.
Source: People Management, WorkLife and Peninsula.
Performance check-ins are key to retaining Gen Z employees
New research from StaffCircle has found that nearly three-quarters (73%) of Gen Z employees would leave their roles if they were unable to get regular feedback and communication from managers. This was also the case for half (52%) of employees from other generations.
The study also found that only 15% of employees have regular weekly performance check-ins with managers while three-quarters (76%) have irregular monthly check-ins.
The report surveyed 1,000 employees and 250 HR professionals and shows that a quarter (25%) of employees can’t access their personal development plans and goals from performance meetings.
Mark Seemann, Founder and CEO of StaffCircle, says that businesses should take this as a wake-up call. Currently, regular check-ins are considered best practice and Gen Z employees expect a higher level of interaction from managers, whether online or in-person.
Nicholas Wagner, Chief People and Culture Officer at 360Learning, says, managers need to reevaluate how they approach career growth plans - the focus needs to be on developing essential skills as individuals careers progress, particularly digital, technical, managerial and leadership skills.
He adds that research consistently shows that engaged and well-trained employees are less likely to leave - managers need to prioritise engaging with Gen Z employees as they are on track to make up a significant portion of the workforce by 2025.
Wagner says companies need to invest in internal upskilling and reskilling to foster talent growth and address challenges, as well as establishing an infrastructure that supports internal career progression.
Source: WorkLife.
And here are links to other really interesting news stories this week:
Employee Benefits: 59% of British workers feel unhappy with their benefits packages
HR Magazine: Most UK managers feel unable to offer adjustments for cancer
The HR Director: Remote jobs are in decline but still in demand | theHRD
UNLEASH: Three ways businesses can prepare for global growth from G-P