November HR News Roundup

Welcome to our November news roundup! With only a few weeks to go before the end of the year, we’ve uncovered plenty of forward-looking stories, several with positive messages to lift our spirits.

Recruitment is a common theme as organisations plan their 2024 strategy and the people resources and skills they need to deliver it. We’ve also got highlights from the CIPD annual conference and King’s speech, and some food-for-thought on sustainability and menopause support. For the penultimate time this year, grab a brew and a biscuit and we’ll get you up to speed.

The King’s speech: what employers and HR need to know

The first King’s speech in 70 years took place on 8 November and the HR content focused on apprenticeships and skills. People Management has published a summary of all the salient points for HR teams and people managers.

These include:

• Plans to force young people to study mathematics until they are 18

• Increasing the number of high-quality apprenticeships

• Making future generations smoke free.

Critics have highlighted that the much talked-about employment bill was missing from the speech for the third year in a row, which may be cause for uncertainty among employers, employees and HR professionals. There was no mention of pensions reform and management.

Work-life balance tips

One of the key themes missing from the King’s speech was employee wellbeing, so here are some timely top tips for maintaining a healthy work-life balance courtesy of HR News. Perhaps this should be more of a priority for us all at such a busy time of year.

• Include self-care in your daily routine, e.g. healthy eating, exercise and hobbies

• Create a daily routine and stick to it. You can only accomplish so much in one day.

• Delegate where possible - use your wider team if you have one or outsource to consultants or external suppliers (like P3!)

• Protect your free time - particularly if you work from home

• Switch off social media to reduce distractions and focus on the task

CIPD conference key takeaways

The CIPD held its annual conference (ACE) in Manchester on 8 and 9 November. If you weren’t lucky enough to attend, HR Magazine has put together a useful roundup of topics discussed on day one and day two.

Key themes on the agenda included AI policy, toxic workplace cultures, employing ex-offenders, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) strategy, building trust, and the value of menopausal women in the workplace. Which leads us nicely to this next article...

Working women want more support for menopause and menstrual health

According to research from the CIPD and Simplyhealth, 87% of working women would like their employer to be more supportive when it comes to women’s health.

The Health and Wellbeing at Work report found that symptoms related to women’s health issues – including menopausal and menstrual symptoms – affect their mood at work, their ability to concentrate, and make them feel physically uncomfortable. 40% of working women say these symptoms affect their productivity levels.

When asked what kind of support they would like from their employer, flexible home working, time off for healthcare appointments, and menstrual and menopause leave were top of the list. How many of these options does your organisation currently offer?

Searches for Christmas jobs hits five-year high

Global hiring and matching platform, Indeed, has released data confirming the strongest seasonal job search activity since 2018. As the cost of living continues to bite, people are increasingly looking to seasonal work to secure additional income to cover the expenses of the festive season and alleviate some of the financial pressure. High street retailers are the biggest recruiters as they look to service the seasonal demands of shoppers.

CIPD Labour Market Outlook

Whilst on the subject of recruitment, the CIPD’s autumn outlook suggests a positive net employment balance of +26 over the next three months across the private and public sector. This means that more employers are looking to increase staffing levels as opposed to reducing them. Now that’s some good news we can get on board with!

Other key facts from the report include a predicted 5% rise in basic pay for public sector employees (in line with the private sector for the first time since 2021) and a reduction in redundancy intentions for the first time since 21/22 - only 17% of employers expect to make redundancies before the end of 2023.

Will sustainability feature strongly your 2024 strategy?

The number of ‘green jobs’ in the workplace looks set to increase as organisations focus on environmental and sustainability commitments next year. The government’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is estimated to create 300 million jobs, with many employers already creating roles that positively impact the environment.

HR Magazine reports on the workforce issues surrounding the move to net zero, including the green jobs skills gap, recruiting for specialist knowledge, and re-skilling and upskilling opportunities. If we are to reach net-zero, sustainability should be a common thread in every organisation’s plan for 2024 and beyond.

Only half of employers provide salary details on job ads

It’s perhaps one of the biggest frustrations for job seekers - finding a role that interests you, only to discover it has a ‘competitive salary’. Research by XpertHR has found that only 50% of organisations share salary details in job adverts. In the private sector this drops to 26%. One of the main reasons for this is to hide the information from competitors. Another is to leave room for negotiation with applicants.

Job seekers are more likely to find salary transparency in the public and not-for-profit sectors. The research also shows that companies that share salary information have a smaller gender pay gap. Where does your business stand on this subject? To share or not to share - the debate looks set to continue.

The role of HR in implementing flexible working

One of the keys to getting recruitment right is to understand the terms, conditions and benefits your prospective employees are looking for. Right now, flexible working is a high priority.

This article from People Management outlines the ‘starring role’ HR can play in re-imagining flexible working, with ‘fairness and engaging with leaders’ top of the list. Definitely worth a read if you are struggling to balance employer and employee needs.

How we can help you

If you’d like to discuss any of the issues raised in this roundup, get in touch with us today on 0161 941 2426. We’re here to help.