HR headlines from the UK

Men struggling to ‘step back and switch off’, with a fifth regularly taking work home

Released to coincide with Men’s Health Week, a study by Lee Hecht Harrison Penna revealed more than half of men are regularly putting in at least half an hour of overtime, 19 per cent take work home at least once a week and 16 per cent would describe themselves as stressed on a daily basis. Experts warned employers need to make sure their staff feel comfortable speaking up if they are struggling to cope.

Read the article >

Organisations have ‘totally unrealistic’ expectations of post-Brexit migration rules

Shortly before the Brexit negotiations kicked off in Brussels, leading think tank The Resolution Foundation warned there was a “stark gap” between the immigration system businesses wanted and the options the government was likely to offer. “Many British firms are totally unprepared for [Brexit changes], particularly when it comes to migration,” warned Torsten Bell, director of the Resolution Foundation.

Read the article >

Workers underpaid by almost £3bn every year – and recruiters are among the worst offenders

A study by Middlesex University discovered 23,000 incidences were workers had not been paid a total of £1.2bn in wages and £1.5bn in holiday pay. The researchers warned the findings could be just “the tip of the iceberg”, noting they had come across occasions were the underpayments had been so severe people had been unable to afford food.

Read the article >

‘Over-promoted’ medical practice manager wins constructive dismissal tribunal

Mrs M Williams had worked for Meddygfa Rrhdbach Surgery for almost 30 year. While she had been well thought of by the doctors running the surgery when she was first promoted to practice manager, Williams was “never very highly regarded” by the doctors in charge by the time she left. The judge found that the medical practice had failed to properly manage her underperformance.

Read the article >

Opinion: The secret to work-life balance is to stop balancing

From putting an end to multitasking to creating healthy habits, psychotherapist Karen Meager and clinical hypnotherapist John McLachlan urge busy HR professionals to stop striving for a life which is perfectly balanced at all times and instead aim for a life rhythm which works for them.

Read the article >