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News and analysis HR news briefing mjj 1 Domino’s job candidate wins £4,000 after being asked age Franchisee unaware not to ask age at interview 2 Employees using cost of living to leverage better salary Companies paying more to retain staff 3 Employee asked to wear period sticker shows need for workplace boundaries An employer’s lack of sensitivity to menstrual health 4 Woman told not to let hormones get out of control wins age discrimination trial CEO makes ageist comments 5 HR responsibilities during a mourning period Employers grapple with loss of the Queen UK set for collision course with UN over strike action The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has reported the UK government to the United Nations (UN) over its attempts to prevent strike action. According to reports in The Guardian, the submission was made to the UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO), the body which sets standards for workers worldwide. It follows new UK prime minister Liz Truss’ vow to crack down on unions within her first 30 days in office. Following a summer of strikes, the UK government has repealed a ban on companies using agency workers to cover for employees on strike. Matt Jenkin, employment specialist at law firm Moorcro s, said UN involvement was very likely, even if it might not directly lead to any law changes. He said: “With Liz Truss being elected as the new PM and given the comments that she made about strike action during her campaign, changes appear to be inevitable and may put the UK government on a collision course not only with trade union movement but also the ILO. “However, the extent to which the UK government would be concerned by any intervention by the ILO is debatable. They have the power to censure the UK government but not the ability to force a change in legislation.” The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) became the latest union to seek legal action for the workers it represents, as it announced it will pursue legal action against food delivery company Deliveroo in the UK Supreme Court. UK workers forced to rethink retirement plans UK workers are having to work for longer before retirement due to the increased state pension age, while receiving less money from their pensions than they need to retire comfortably. Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said that the current state of the economy had made it harder for people to approach retirement in the same way. Research from Aviva found 79% of people aged 65-74 have retired in 2022, compared with 92% in 2016. The increase in age at which people become eligible for the state pension was cited as one cause – from 65 in 2016 to 66, and it is expected to rise further to 67 by 2028 and 68 by 2046. By working for an extra year, people are relying less on their state pensions. Of the 1,507 surveyed in April 2022, 71% said their state pension accounted for some of their income, as opposed to 96% in 2016. She said: “With inflation so high some people are undoubtedly rethinking their retirement plans as they need the money from working. “Postponing retirement or trying to re-enter employment again having stopped are two of the very few strategies available to people, if at retirement age they are struggling financially.” Abrahams added that not every worker of pension age will have the same luck when it came to staying in employment. She said: “There are many others who have no prospect of increasing their income through working, because they are unwell or have caring responsibilities or lack the skills.” A l o r u m D e i e s: ra p h t o g P h o l l 6 HR September/October 2022 hrmagazine.co.uk
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HR news briefing News and analysis what October means for you HR plans to offer support despite energy cap On 8 September, prime minister Liz Truss announced a cost of living support package which included capping typical annual household energy bills at £2,500 for the next two years. primarily come through increased pay, additional pay reviews, and one-off bonuses. A minority of employers (15%) also confirmed they would explore non-monetary assistance such as home insulation, financial wellbeing programmes and employee hardship funds. Truss confirmed that businesses would pay a similar rate for the next six months — adding that any additional sector-specific support would be confirmed within the quarter. Mike Barrow, financial coach at Claro Wellbeing, said the government’s support shouldn’t For many employers, news of government intervention will likely be welcomed. stop the need for employers offering additional assistance in the form of education and flexible working arrangements. He said: “While we’ve seen some employers offer one-off cash payments they should also be considering long-term support options which go beyond money alone. “With huge numbers of employees still working from home, it may be that we see people returning to the offi ce to reduce the costs associated with heating and lighting their homes. Prior to Truss’ announcement, PwC found more than four in five employers were planning to support staff with cost of living increases. The management consultancy’s survey of UK reward specialists found planned support would “If working in an offi ce isn’t an option, organisations should consider how they can support staff working remotely by helping with bills where possible. Organisations could also help by introducing a financial wellbeing programme.” How can HR support employees during cost of living crisis? A look at how companies are reinforcing support for employees HR lacks confidence in managers’ conversation skills Managers lack confidence in talking to employees about serious issues Government urged to prioritise “overdue” paternity leave reforms Employers would welcome extensions to paternity pay and leave ent se ity ms uld to ve Cost of living crisis pulls younger workers back to office Young workers may have to go into the office more than they want to as rising energy bills are making working from home more expensive. Research from Emburse found almost a quarter (23%) of workers under 35 would consider going in to the offi ce more o en due to the rising cost of energy bills. Currently 63% of those surveyed said they spent three or more days working from home. Many workers would welcome support from their employers to help manage rising costs: 42% of offi ce workers would take utilities support over fully expensed commuting costs, but 69% said their employers weren’t planning to provide any support related to energy costs. Energy bills for a typical household are expected to rise to £3,459 per year from 1 October. Kenny Eon, general manager and senior vice president EMEA at Emburse, said that spending more time in the offi ce could be the cheaper option for workers. He said the financial benefits of doing so, together with the culture and collaboration benefits, offered compelling reasons for employees to return to the offi ce. hrmagazine.co.uk September/October 2022 HR 7

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News and analysis HR news briefing mjj

1 Domino’s job candidate wins

£4,000 after being asked age

Franchisee unaware not to ask age at interview

2 Employees using cost of living to leverage better salary Companies paying more to retain staff

3 Employee asked to wear period sticker shows need for workplace boundaries An employer’s lack of sensitivity to menstrual health

4 Woman told not to let hormones get out of control wins age discrimination trial CEO makes ageist comments

5 HR responsibilities during a mourning period Employers grapple with loss of the

Queen

UK set for collision course with UN over strike action The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has reported the UK government to the United Nations (UN) over its attempts to prevent strike action.

According to reports in The Guardian, the submission was made to the UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO), the body which sets standards for workers worldwide.

It follows new UK prime minister Liz Truss’ vow to crack down on unions within her first 30 days in office.

Following a summer of strikes, the UK government has repealed a ban on companies using agency workers to cover for employees on strike.

Matt Jenkin, employment specialist at law firm Moorcro s, said UN involvement was very likely, even if it might not directly lead to any law changes.

He said: “With Liz Truss being elected as the new PM and given the comments that she made about strike action during her campaign, changes appear to be inevitable and may put the UK government on a collision course not only with trade union movement but also the ILO.

“However, the extent to which the UK government would be concerned by any intervention by the ILO is debatable. They have the power to censure the UK government but not the ability to force a change in legislation.” The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) became the latest union to seek legal action for the workers it represents, as it announced it will pursue legal action against food delivery company Deliveroo in the UK Supreme Court.

UK workers forced to rethink retirement plans UK workers are having to work for longer before retirement due to the increased state pension age, while receiving less money from their pensions than they need to retire comfortably.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said that the current state of the economy had made it harder for people to approach retirement in the same way.

Research from Aviva found 79% of people aged 65-74 have retired in 2022, compared with 92% in 2016. The increase in age at which people become eligible for the state pension was cited as one cause – from 65 in 2016 to 66, and it is expected to rise further to 67 by 2028 and 68 by 2046.

By working for an extra year, people are relying less on their state pensions.

Of the 1,507 surveyed in April 2022, 71% said their state pension accounted for some of their income, as opposed to 96% in 2016.

She said: “With inflation so high some people are undoubtedly rethinking their retirement plans as they need the money from working. “Postponing retirement or trying to re-enter employment again having stopped are two of the very few strategies available to people, if at retirement age they are struggling financially.”

Abrahams added that not every worker of pension age will have the same luck when it came to staying in employment.

She said: “There are many others who have no prospect of increasing their income through working, because they are unwell or have caring responsibilities or lack the skills.” A

l o r u m

D e i e s:

ra p h t o g

P h o l l

6 HR September/October 2022

hrmagazine.co.uk

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