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Hr NETWORK Magazine announced as media partner for Workplace Equality conference
Hr NETWORK Magazine announced as media partner for Workplace Equality conference
Hr NETWORK Magazine is very pleased to announce it is the media partner for the forthcoming Advice Direct Scotland ‘Workplace Equality Conference’ taking place at Strathclyde University Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow on Friday 10th November.
Workplace Equality Conference
Advice Direct Scotland, in partnership with equality innovators, invites you to join them at the University of Strathclyde Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow to explore and share practical actions to build success, creating blueprints for equality, diversity and inclusion in the modern workplace. The conference will bring together a wide range of businesses, public bodies and expert organisations engaged in the journey to Fair Work across Scotland.
This full day event will feature a range of speakers, insightful workshops, an ‘EDI’ marketplace along with a panel session for questions.
Hosted by Sally Magnusson and with a keynote address by Neil Gray, Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Fair Work and Culture the conference will offer:
- Access to resources, tools and expertise
- Partnership and business opportunities
- Approaches to attracting, recruiting and retaining staff
- Tips on encouraging returners and supporting diversity
- Fresh perspectives and customer insights
- Opportunities to maximise supply chain potential
Join employers, senior managers, frontline managers, HR, learning and development and EDI specialists. Your £65 ticket includes:
- Full day access to the talks
- Workshops in the morning and afternoon
- Panel discussion
- Marketplace offering specialist information
- Breakfast refreshments and lunch
- Drinks reception and networking
For more information and to book your place, please visit: ADVICE DIRECT CONFERENCE
Skills shortages and limited hiring budgets are top recruitment challenges for UK companies
Skills shortages and limited hiring budgets are top recruitment challenges for UK companies
A new survey revealed that 86% of organisations in the UK have found hiring ‘quite’ or ‘very’ competitive in 2023. 46% have lost out on hiring new talent in the last six months as they ‘can’t compete on salary and benefits’, and 40% expect ‘lack of skilled candidates available’ to be their greatest 2024 recruitment challenge.
Despite this, the research, conducted by global talent services company Morgan McKinley as part of its 2024 Salary Guide, found that over half (52%) of UK businesses still plan to hire in the next six months. As for professionals, 51% in the UK plan to actively look for new jobs in the next six months. The survey also revealed that British workers were not happy with the benefits they received: 59% being ‘neutral’, ‘dissatisfied’ or ‘highly dissatisfied’ with their packages. The top five desired benefits British workers look for in a job are: Work from home, bonus, pension, health insurance, and flexible working hours.
‘Higher salary’ remains the most valued reason for wanting to move jobs at 42%, followed by ‘meaningful and impactful work’ at 13%. 49% of professionals in the UK are optimistic that they will receive a salary increase in 2024 and 70% of employers plan to increase salary offers in 2024 for certain in-demand roles.
Contracting appears to be more attractive for many, as 48% of professionals currently employed in permanent roles would consider making the switch to contracting, with the main reasons given being ‘better rates of pay’, ‘greater opportunities to develop skills’, and ‘more flexibility’.
David Leithead, Chief Operations Officer of Morgan McKinley UK, commented: “The underlying economic gloom caused many employers to slow recruitment; the frenzy to secure new hires has been replaced by companies taking time and care to ensure the best hiring decisions are made. Despite this, the pressure to find new talent has remained, as companies look to drive ahead with change agendas, satisfy new regulatory and legal regimes, maximise commercial opportunities, and respond to turnover.”
“Many employers offered inflated salaries to secure talent throughout 2021 and 2022, so it’s unsurprising that salary offers have largely normalised with fewer opportunities available.”
Leithead concluded: “No matter the macro climate, it remains true always that the right talent – that can drive progress and improvement – will remain in demand and companies will pay well to secure them. With the shortage of skilled professionals available, take steps to keep your people engaged, supported and happy; offering benefits that are meaningful to the individual’s specific situation will help here. Benefits around wellbeing and flexibility remain top of the pile.”
The Morgan McKinley 2024 Salary Guide presents up-to-date and accurate salary data for a wide range of roles across the UK, providing hiring managers with industry benchmarks when they are working out what to pay employees and giving professionals more visibility over what they can earn.
Research from 650 businesses and 3,400 professionals was conducted to find out what companies’ hiring intentions are for 2024, what the key motivators are for changing jobs, and what the expectations are for movement on salaries.
Two thirds of fathers in HR feel as though paternity leave had a negative impact on their career
Two thirds of fathers in HR feel as though paternity leave had a negative impact on their career
New research indicates that UK fathers who work within the recruitment and HR profession could be getting shortchanged when it comes to the early weeks of raising their children. Life insurance broker, Reassured, has investigated the need for a parental leave offering within the HR and recruitment sector. The experts spoke with UK fathers to determine their stance on the parental options they’re given.
According to the research, there are significant disparities in parental leave experiences with over one in six (17.1%) fathers being granted 5-6 weeks of paid parental leave, whilst 20% were allowed 1-2 weeks. Although 36% of those polled within HR and recruitment were given 5 to 6 weeks of paternity leave, two thirds of those did not feel as though they had enough time to bond with their child, and further stated they felt as though their career had been impacted from taking the leave.
Worryingly, 67% admitted that they felt pressure to return to work prematurely, and the same number of fathers added they were denied additional leave from their employers. Delving further into the topic, Reassured spoke to Danielle Baron to offer tips on what employers can do to make paternity leave more accessible to new parents:
- Flexible Policies: Offer parental leave policies that are flexible and inclusive of diverse family structures, including same-sex couples and adoptive parents.
- Inclusive Communication: Ensure that all communication related to parental leave is inclusive and avoids gender stereotypes. Use the term “parental leave” rather than “maternity leave”.
- Equal Opportunities: Encourage all employees, regardless of gender, to take leave. Promote shared parental leave and strive for equal opportunities.
- Return-to-Work Support: Comprehensive support for employees returning to work is essential. This support can include phased returns, flexible work arrangements, and access to counselling services when necessary.
- Mentorship and Training: Offer mentorship and training programmes to help parents smoothly reintegrate into the workplace.
A spokesperson at Reassured comments further: “Our study highlights the need for continued efforts to improve parental leave policies. With life being filled with unforeseen twists and turns it’s crucial to ensure your family is protected should the worst happen.”
Menopause Awareness Month: UK leads the way in offering menopause policies
Menopause Awareness Month: UK leads the way in offering menopause policies
As we enter Menopause Awareness Month for October, feel-good PR agency Lem-uhn, has revealed that there has been a 51% increase in searches for ‘menopause policy’ in the UK in the last year. The rise in searches is illustrative of menopausal employees seeking additional support, as well as shifting attitudes in the workplace.
The data, compiled by Lem-uhn using Google Trends, found that there was a noticeable uptake in UK searches for ‘menopause policy’ shortly after Davina McCall’s book Menopausing was published in September 2022. Lem-uhn also identified another spike in March 2023 when the UK government appointed its first Menopause Employment Champion in an effort to improve workplace support for menopausal employees. This comes after a UK survey conducted in 2019 showed that 90% of women reported that their workplace did not offer support for menopause, with only 5% mentioning that their employer offered advice.
This lack of support is likely driving the increase in searches, as people seek out information and resources on how to manage menopause at their places of employment. On the other hand, companies are also increasingly aware of the need to revise their policies to best support menopausal employees, as they recognise the benefits of creating a more inclusive and supportive workplace for all.
The top countries searching for ‘menopause and work’:
| Rank | The top countries searching for ’menopause and work’ |
| 1 | United Kingdom |
| 2 | Ireland |
| 3 | South Africa |
| 4 | United States |
| 5 | Canada |
| 6 | Australia |
| 7 | India |
Lem-uhn also unveils that the UK is the number one country searching for “menopause and work”, with searches for these terms 31% more popular than in Ireland, and 69% higher than in South Africa, the second and third most popular countries on the list.
In line with shifting attitudes in the workplace, Lem-uhn announced its Menstrual Policy allowing employees up to ten days’ leave for debilitating periods and menopause symptoms and following pregnancy loss.
Riannon Palmer, founder and managing director of Lem-uhn, said: “Menopause currently is or will in the future affect half of the world. Workplaces must provide better support to ensure that talented women are able to remain in the workplace. We hope that policies like ours will make life easier for women and be part of the change to normalise the conversation about a natural and inevitable part of life for half of the population.”
40% of women state care responsibilities impact their tech career choices
40% of women state care responsibilities impact their tech career choices
40 per cent of women in the technology sector agree that their decision to stay in their current role depends on the care responsibilities they have, according to the Tech Talent Charter. The research shows that almost 12 per cent of women have left their role in technology so they can invest more time in their caring commitments, while a lack of work-life balance was also shown to be the top reason for women deciding to leave their role in the technology industry.
While disproportionate care responsibilities were evident before the pandemic, it is said that the work-from-home mandate has highlighted that women have been hit with even more care responsibilities, making it no surprise that those who are able to work more flexibility have higher retention rates.
Along with care responsibilities, a lack of career development was also highlighted as a key reason for women leaving their roles in tech, with four out of five women saying this has impacted their decision, while pay dissatisfaction was also shown to be a top reason, likely being linked to the cost of living crisis and high childcare costs.
Joanna Kori, Head of People at Encompass Corporation, commented: “It is both concerning and disheartening to see these figures, which highlight women being forced to alter or give up their careers in technology – and especially when a primary cause is centred on a lack of flexible working practices.
“With women saying they have left roles to better fulfil care commitments, this only emphasises, again, the importance of giving employees the opportunity to make work work for them. These commitments should not be a barrier and flexible working policies, for example, can be central to empowering women, and all workers, to prioritise the life and wellbeing choices that are important to them while meeting professional goals.
“Organisations should regularly evaluate whether their existing workplace policies match the needs of their employees, and evolve them as necessary to ensure all staff are well supported. Despite progress, the number of women in the technology sector is still too low. Unless we see tangible action and commitment to change, this will only continue, with talent and potential remaining untapped.”
Karen Blake, Tech Talent Charter’s chief operating officer, said: “It’s really troubling to learn about the high number of women in tech who are feeling unhappy in their jobs. It’s especially discouraging to see that so many talented female technologists are considering leaving their positions or not staying for very long.”
Student Loans Company appoints new People Director
Student Loans Company appoints new People Director
The Students Loans Company (SLC) has appointed Gillian Brydie as Executive Director, People. Following more than 20 years in the financial services sector, Gillian moves into the public sector bringing a wealth of experience to the organisation, including expertise in strategy development, people change and transformation, business partnering and senior leadership. Leading the People Directorate, she is responsible for developing the People Strategy, which aims to ensure that SLC is a great place to work.
Gillian joins from NatWest where she was the Head of People Transformation. Chris Larmer, CEO at SLC, said: “I am thrilled to welcome Gillian to SLC to lead our People Directorate. We are a customer-focussed, purpose driven business and our employees are at the heart of everything we do. Gillian has extensive skills and experience that will be of huge benefit as we move forward and continue to make SLC a great place to work.
“Gillian has a proven track record of leading large teams and focusing on the success of strategic priorities. We are excited to have her on board at SLC.”
Gilian has a BSc (hons) in Physiological Sciences from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland. She joined Natwest in 2005 and was previously at HBOS.
Speaking about her appointment, Gillian said: “I have been looking forward to joining SLC – my first public sector role after a career in financial services. This is an excellent opportunity to lead a team who are committed and passionate about the people in this organisation and continue to develop our culture.
“SLC’s purpose plays a core role in enabling students to realise their ambitions and supporting their education journey. In my first few weeks, I have been encouraged by the extensive knowledge and experience in the business, both in the People team and beyond in other directorates. There’s lots to do and I’m excited to get started.”