More than one-third (37%) of employees have worked through pain as they could not afford to take time off, according to research by National Accident Helpline. Its survey of 2,000 British workers also found that more than half of respondents have never taken a sick day during their career, while 28% have begun using remote working days as a substitute for sick days. One-quarter of respondents said they have taken painkillers due to a work-related injury, while the same proportion reported having, or having had, computer vision syndrome, an umbrella term for eye problems developed from using sc ..read more

ICI has completed a £900 million pensions buy-in deal. The transaction, which was carried out with Legal and General Assurance Society, has secured the benefits of more than 7,000 retired members. The fund was able to meet its de-risking objectives as part of its long-standing relationship and collaborative approach with the provider. This is the 12th pensions-related transaction for the fund after entering into an umbrella agreement with Legal and General in 2014. It has since completed transactions that total £7 billion and covers around 70% of the fund’s total liabilities. Lane Clark and Pe ..read more

Standard Chartered Bank and supermarket chain Lidl GB have been shortlisted for Best voluntary benefits at the Employee Benefits Awards 2024. This award was created to celebrate organisations that have either launched or revamped their use of staff-paid, voluntary benefits or staff deals, available for employees to take up at any time throughout the year. The full category shortlist is: iPSL Lidl GB Standard Chartered Bank Wates In 2023, University of Lincoln scooped the top prize due to its revamp of its benefits offering for student workers, which included a prepaid branded debit card that ..read more

With recruitment difficulties set to continue, businesses need to attract applicants and retain staff as best they can. Embracing flexible working could make a business more attractive in a difficult climate. Flexible working is one element employers can control in terms of the talent pool; the time to act is now. Since 6 April this year, all employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of service and can make two requests a year. This does not mean that staff have an entitlement to flexible working, as there are eight reasons allowed for refusing requests, but employers m ..read more

Bike Week, an annual celebration of cycling runs from the 10th to the 16th of June. We have some exciting internal initiatives planned for our colleagues and clients and will be doing our bit to champion cycling here at Pluxee UK. Cycling can enhance physical, mental, and financial wellbeing and save your business money. During this blog, we’ll explore how you can get your people and business Bike Week-ready. It’s easy to understand how cycling improves employees’ physical health – it gets them moving and active, helping them get fitter.  This physical health boost links to their mental ..read more

– Common financial scams employees should be aware of 12% of UK adults have admitted to losing money to a financial scam in the last year, according to new research[1] from WEALTH at work. This could potentially equate to 6.2 million adults[2] across the UK. The research found that of those who had lost money to a financial scam, the average amount was over £1k[3]. These findings come despite almost 3 out of 4 (72%) of adults saying that they are confident in their ability to identify a financial scam. The research also revealed the worrying impact losing money to a financial scam h ..read more

International law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman has launched a new neurodiversity assessment and support package for its London office employees, as well as eligible family members. The firm has committed to pay for staff and eligible family members to access early stage and specialist assessments for neurodiverse conditions. Those who are eligible will be able to book private appointments with a designated GP clinic, and if they are referred to a specialist, the firm will also reimburse the appointment costs. In addition to offering time off for appointments, it will provide up to £3,0 ..read more

Credit: David Burrows / Shutterstock.com Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust has increased its pay rates to be in line with the London living wage, backdated to April. The trust, which operates Queen’s Hospital in Romford and King George Hospital in Ilford (pictured above), has uplifted its band two bank pay and apprentice rates as part of its commitment to support its lowest-paid workers with the rising cost of living in and around London. The increase will apply to employees undertaking temporary shifts at the hospitals, such as those on the internal staff bank. Th ..read more

Housing association Hanover Scotland has received gold accreditation for its commitment and dedication to employee health and wellbeing from Investors in People. To obtain the accreditation, the organisation went through an assessment process that focused on various aspects of workplace wellbeing. It scored well in areas such as leadership, support, and continuous improvement of its wellbeing practices. These include a comprehensive wellbeing programme featuring a range of interactive initiatives and events to help support conversations on mental wellbeing, financial wellbeing and menopause. T ..read more

Credit: udra11 / Shutterstock In this episode of the Employee Benefits podcast, in association with Specsavers Corporate Eyecare, Giles Edmonds, clinical services director at Specsavers, discusses the importance of focusing on eye health in workplace wellbeing strategies. During the discussion with Employee Benefits’ editor Debbie Lovewell-Tuck, Giles addresses the following questions: What are common eye conditions that employees may suffer from? How does working with devices, such as laptops and desktop computers, affect employees’ eyes? What can employers do to help employees protect their ..read more