Industry News May 2011

• Poor health of staff costing companies £3bn annually
  - The poor health of staff throughout UK businesses is costing them around £3 billion each year, according to recent Bupa statistics
• Two-thirds of businesses to increase pay in 2011
  - 65 per cent of employers have stated that they will increase the wages of their employees this year, or have already done so
• "Strategic" attitude required for recruitment
  - HR professionals and recruiters need to adopt a "strategic" attitude towards their long-term recruitment objectives
• New fathers to take advantage of leave
  - New proposals from business secretary Vince Cable will radically reform the way fathers will take parental leave, reports Personnel Today
• Workers feel unable to admit they're stressed
  - Workers across Britain sometimes feel unable to admit if they are stressed or struggling with depression, for fear of being made redundant
• Recruitment documents should be "in order"
  - Employers should ensure their recruitment paperwork is all "in order", otherwise they might face a fine from the UK Border Agency (UKBA)
• Seriously ill being declared "fit to work"
  - Six charities have spoken out against the number of seriously ill people being declared "fit to work" as a result of new benefits tests, Unity.lv confirmed
• Perception that HR doesn't add value is wrong
  - The widely-held perception that human resources (HR) doesn't add any value to a company is wrong, and HR professionals should work to prove this
• Focus on staff retention affecting pay
  - Businesses are favouring the retention of staff over pay rises, according to a recruitment expert
• 45 per cent of UK workers don't take sick days
  - Almost half of all British workers did not take a single day off sick last year, a report has found
• Fit note has made "no difference" to absence management
  - The fit note scheme, introduced in April 2010, has "made absolutely no difference" to absence management and sickness levels
• New guidelines put end to City retention bonuses
  - Businesses in the financial sector will no longer be able to award staff retention bonuses, thanks to new guidelines from the Financial Services Authority (FSA)
• Freedom is key to high retention, says expert
  - Giving staff more freedom at work is the key to high retention rates, according to a leading recruiter
• SMEs need to prepare for pension reforms
  - Experts are urging small and medium-sized enterprises to act now and start preparing for the pension reforms, says Payroll World
• Workers seek advice on holiday entitlement
  - British workers could be being denied their legal right to take time off, a new report suggests
• Brits average ten unscheduled days off a year
  - A new study has suggested UK employees take an average of ten unscheduled days off a year, equating to around £32 billion in lost business revenue
• UK employees put in £27 billion worth of unpaid work
  - Around 5.2 million UK employees put in extra time at work for free last year, according a new study
• Massive salary rise for City workers
  - City workers have received an annual pay rise higher than employees in any other sector
• Employers have sick-leave rights too 
  - Although most employees have a right to paid sick-leave, employers have rights too when it comes to absence management
•  13 business days a year wasted on managing expenses
  - SME owners waste a total of 13 business days a year managing expenses, according to a new study