On the eve of the second anniversary of the UK going into a pandemic-induced lockdown, new research from Business Travel Show Europe has revealed that Covid is continuing to play havoc with business travel planning, but budgets are healthier than those predicted six months ago. The poll – answered by 139 travel buyers from around […]

New research suggests that many British employers won’t require staff who test positive for Covid-19 to self-isolate at home once any remaining legal restrictions are lifted. A poll of 250 business owners, CEOs and senior managers, by HR software provider CIPHR, found that less than half (48%) are planning to keep staff with Covid at […]

Withholding contractual sick pay for unvaccinated staff has significant risks that employers should consider before enforcing the policy. That’s according to employee relations experts, AdviserPlus, after several employers including Ikea and Morrisons cut sick pay for unvaccinated employees after a rise in staff absences over the winter period. Analysis by the Trades Union Congress found that […]

With the Omicron variant appearing to have peaked in the UK according to the ONS, research from Infogrid has revealed that nearly a third of working Brits (32%) want to return to their offices in January because they feel it would improve their mental health, which has been impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The top […]

Companies including IKEA and Wessex Water are reportedly cutting sick pay for unvaccinated employees who are self-isolating; instead of receiving full pay, they will now only be eligible for SSP. Under current Government guidance, people in England who have received at least 2 doses of the Covid vaccine are not required to self-isolate, however, unvaccinated […]

As the new Covid-19 variant, omicron, threatens to spread across the globe, research from Infogrid indiates that people who have not had their Covid-19 vaccination have become a major barrier to employees wanting to return to the physical office. Over half (57%) of UK employees who attend or expect to return to the physical workplace said […]

The Business Travel Association (BTA) has revealed that 76% of travellers returning to the UK said their PCR test result was not looked at or verified by the UK Border Force. A survey, conducted by the Association, asked a series of questions to over 500 individuals who have travelled outside the UK from January to August […]

By Binna Kandola, Senior Partner and Co-Founder at business psychology firm Pearn Kandola Inclusivity is an essential component in any workplace. It allows employees to experience a shared sense of belonging, which, in turn, enables them to feel comfortable, confident and inspired. An inclusive workplace is one that effectively incorporates differences without eliminating them and […]

Following the news that numerous blue-chip businesses, such as KPMG and Ernst & Young, have adopted a permanent hybrid working model, new research indicates that workers do not feel they have the tools or technology they need to work from home. The Global Working From Home Survey, commissioned by employee wellbeing specialist WRKIT, has found that […]

By Aleksandra Traczyk, Solicitor, Winckworth Sherwood… The vaccination programme so far has been very successful in the UK and we are all now allowing ourselves to see the light at the end of the tunnel – daydreaming about holiday destinations. The Government has implemented a traffic light system of green, amber and red countries in […]

New research shows that employees’ mental health is being affected by Covid and that this is having a knock-on effect on their working life. For Mental Health Awareness Week, Towergate Health & Protection urges employers to look after employees at all levels. Data from the Office For National Statistics shows that the proportion of adults […]

As pubs, shops and other workplaces re-open, the success of the vaccine rollout has helped workers feel much more optimistic about their return to work than they were following November’s lockdown, according to Aviva’s research of more than 2,000 employed adults across the UK. Aviva’s third Employee Back to Work Index shows that 71% of workers […]

More than half of British workers would be happy to never return to the office – due to fears of germs, a lack of social distancing and being in a room with lots of other people. A study of 1,000 employees who are currently working from home found two thirds would also feel uncomfortable about […]

Some 84% of large businesses and organisations in the UK have lost working days due to a lack of effective contact tracing, according to a new study. The resulting lost productivity is estimated to have cost the country’s economy over £11b in the last 12 months – equivalent to 4.3 million working days. The study, […]

Long Covid could have a big impact for employers for many months to come. It is a relatively new illness that is not yet fully understood and may keep employees from returning to work for indeterminate amounts of time. It is the mortality rate that has grabbed headlines, with Covid-19’s biggest effects seen among older […]

By Daniel Parker, Associate at Winckworth Sherwood… The rapid development of a number of coronavirus vaccines has offered us a sign of hope that the end of the current pandemic may be in sight.  However, just as those who have been fortunate enough to receive the vaccine have been urged to continue exercising caution, employers […]

Seven in 10 office workers believe colleagues should only be allowed back at their desks when they have been vaccinated against Covid-19, research has revealed. A survey of 1,000 UK office workers who are currently on furlough or are working from home revealed more than half (51 per cent) can’t wait to head back in […]

XpertHR offers some advice… The Government has announced that its rapid workplace testing initiative, which allows employers in England to order free rapid lateral flow tests, would be expanded to cover businesses of all sizes, having previously limited the scheme to businesses employing 50 or more employees. According to the Government’s web site, ‘around one in […]