(PR in) HR Pulse | HR News Round-up: 19th – 25th June 2023

Photo by Hatice Yardım on Unsplash

Disabled employees aren’t receiving necessary adjustments and support from employers

The Business Disability Forum’s (BDF) The Great Big Workplace Adjustments Survey 2023 has found that more than three-quarters (78%) of disabled employees and managers said they had to take proactive steps to get the necessary adjustments needed for work - a shocking 9 in 10 respondents explained that obtaining these necessities was difficult.

The report also revealed that on average 12% of disabled workers have to wait more than a year to receive necessary adjustments and nearly a quarter (22%) don’t have their needs reviewed.

Since the BDF’s 2019 report, the speed at which disabled workers receive these adjustments has only risen by 4% and just over a third (37%) believe their employers aren’t committed to creating an inclusive workplace.

The BDF’s 2023 survey found that almost half (40%) of respondents expressed they have been patronised at work and more than a third (38%) said they have been bullied and/or harassed due to their condition.

James Potts, Director of Peninsula explains that although there are no legal requirements for employers to make the process of obtaining necessary adjustments easy for disabled workers, employers are liable if there is an unreasonable delay. Potts adds that disabled workers are protected under the Equality Act and can file for an employment tribunal if their employers fail to provide said adjustments.

Angela Matthews, Head of Policy and Research at BDF explains that the process for employers to obtain necessary adjustments for employees is unnecessarily complicated and often requires communications with a number of different departments. Matthews suggests that organisations and their HR teams should streamline the process to ensure that disabled workers receive the adjustments and support they need.

Sources: Employee Benefits, HR Magazine, People Management and Personnel Today.  

Young people support the government’s pension reform

New research from Now:Pensions reveals that the majority (86%) of people aged between 11 to 27 support the UK government’s proposal to bring the auto-enrolment pension age from 22 to 18.

Jonathan Cribb, Associate Director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies explains that this new bill would be particularly helpful for individuals who start working at a younger age as even small contributions could grow into a significant retirement fund through compound interest. 

Patrick Luthi, CEO of NOW:Pensions adds that the proposal could also reduce the long standing gender pension gap.

According to the Department for Work and Pensions’ recent report, data from 2018 to 2020 shows the gender pension gap currently stands at 35%.

NOW:Pensions’ study also revealed that 9 in 10 (89%) students wanted better education around pensions. 

Joe Dabrowski, Deputy Director of Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA), agrees that financial education should be explored (more) during school and encourages young people to proactively learn more about saving and pensions.

Source: HR Magazine.

Integrating AI into the workplace will take three years of preparations 

Yoho Workplace Strategy’s recent study shows that almost all (99%) of the 600 HR managers and directors surveyed said AI tech would improve workplace benefits.

However, almost half (40%) also believe that the HR field isn’t ready to fully adopt AI tech into its workplace and it would take at least three years of preparations to do so. Only 15% claimed that they are completely prepared for the upcoming impact of AI this year.

Pavel Bahu, Global Head of HR at Trevolution Group emphasises the need for HR professionals to reskill/upskill their tech knowledge to optimise their time while ensuring that their use of AI is ethical and unbiased.

Yoho’s report revealed that the unethical implications of using AI in HR is a key concern for nearly a third (29%) of HR professionals, equal to worries around a lack of human interaction (30%) and a security and privacy breach (29%).

Dr Saad Attieh, Founder of Fielder adds the reassurance that human interaction is one area that AI integration would actually improve - by working on mundane and repetitive tasks, HR professionals will have more time to invest in developing relationships with colleagues and clients. 

Source: People Management and The HR Director.