Welcome to your HRD Connect daily update!

Flexible working to contribute £148bn to UK economy by 2030

The rise in flexible working is set to contribute 148bn to the UK economy. Through a comprehensive socio-economic study of changing workplace practices, by Regus, it revealed the many positives of this new age of working.

Studies show that the growth in flexible working could potentially contribute £148 billion to the UK economy by 2030, this is 16 times the cost of the London 2012 Olympics.

Find out more below.

How can we protect our transgender workers?

To start a discussion about the protection offered by the law to the trans community at work highlights immediately the first issue – that gender identity in the workplace is a very complex matter. This was highlighted by the Women & Equalities Select Committee (WESC) in 2016 and echoed by ACAS in 2017 in their research paper entitled ‘supporting trans employees in the workplace’.

Read further below.

What employee benefits do people actually want?

How do you decide what perks to provide your employees with? It’s an issue that deserves more airtime than it’s given. Company benefits are an expensive part of your EVP and if you miss the mark, not only are you wasting money but you’re giving nothing of “value” (perceived or otherwise) back to your employees.

Perkbox recently revealed the results from their survey ‘The Great Perk Search’ a UK-wide survey ranking the top 50 employees benefits. Are you providing the benefits your workforce actually want? Take a look at what benefits are most popular nationwide, read further below.

Making financial wellness personal to your workforce

The term ‘financial wellness’ doesn’t depend on your general wealth or salary. It’s defined by the act of managing personal financial situations and budgeting within the confines of your own earnings – and doing it in a confident and secure way.

In 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published a report focusing on financial wellbeing defined as “a state of being wherein you:

  • Have control over day-to-day, month-to-month finances;
  • Have the capacity to absorb a financial shock;
  • Are on track to meet your financial goals; and
  • Have the financial freedom to make the choices that allow you to enjoy life.

Speaking exclusively with Steven Leigh a Senior Consultant at Aon, we found out what he believes are common misconceptions when it comes to devising financial wellness programmes, why the middle-aged demographic get overlooked and how financial wellbeing can be cost-effective. We question, what are the changes that need to be implemented now to ensure real innovation? And how can employers change the way people plan for their futures going forward?

Are you coming to next year’s gathering of the Who’s Who in the HR industry?

In today’s diverse and complex business environment we understand the challenges facing the business leaders of today. If you’re wondering how to create a profitable organisation whilst ensuring the wellbeing of your employees then we can help put you in front of the visionaries that have done exactly that.

We only assemble the best of the best – speakers confirmed for 2019 come from a variety of companies leading the way to include Virgin Money, HSBC, Sodexo, Sky, Thinkers 50, Bersin, Cisco, ThermoFischer Scientific and many more.

Book here now

As ever, join the conversation and tweet us at @HRDCommunity or email me at [email protected].

I hope you enjoy the features.

Best wishes,

Emily Sexton-Brown,
Editor, HRD Connect