The latest L&D news, reports, research and updates, personally compiled by TJ’s Editor, Jo Cook. This week: Gen Z’s side hustle surge, DWP’s call for fail-friendly innovation, cost-saving health data, remote work’s civil service boost, and a massive Clorox-Cognizant cyber lawsuit—revealing modern work’s shifting cyber risks and negative impact.
1 in 10 employees have to pay for health and safety training themselves – are employers falling short?
New data from Astutis has revealed that a growing number of UK employees are funding their own health and safety training from their own pockets. The report revealed that 1 in every 10 employees funded their own training, raising serious concerns about under-investment and culture gaps across industries such as construction, logistics and manufacturing.
The report, which surveyed 920 workers, also found that nearly a third (31%) of UK workers said that their employer’s training budget was insufficient for their role or risk level. Half of Brits (50%) also say that health and safety training is skipped due to a lack of time at work, showing that it isn’t treated as a priority.
Aon fired employee with ADHD who wanted to work in the office full time, lawsuit alleges
Professional services firm Aon allegedly fired an employee because she has attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, after she requested and received an accommodation to work in the office, according to a July 23 lawsuit. She alleged that a recruiter told her she could work in the office full time to accommodate her ADHD, but after she was hired, she was allegedly informed the role was mostly remote and full-time in-office work wasn’t possible.
The Aon lawsuit offers a twist — the employee alleged she was discriminated against because she requested an accommodation to work in the office, not remotely.
‘Poorly managed’ work travel fuelling turnover risk among mobile workers
Poorly organised work travel is creating avoidable stress for mobile workers and contributing to employee turnover, new research suggests. According to Roomex’s latest report, Reinventing the Journey: The Voice of the Field Worker, eight in ten mobile workers regularly use personal money or credit cards to cover travel costs, with many waiting extended periods for reimbursement.
The report, based on a survey of over 1,500 mobile workers and travel bookers across sectors such as construction, hospitality, engineering, transport and financial services, paints a picture of growing dissatisfaction.
Working late, living less: The true cost of excessive overtime
Hustle culture has taken over the office, and what was once the occasional late night is now a regular fixture on the work calendar. But at what cost?
- More than half (54%) of workers regularly work overtime, with 10% doing so nearly every day and 24% several times a week
- Some 22% skip meals, 14% forget to hydrate, and 12% neglect basic hygiene due to work overload
- Some 33% rely heavily on caffeine or energy drinks to fight off fatigue, while 10% turn to recreational drugs, and 8% take prescription medication to cope.
Majority of Gen Z considering second jobs to survive
More than half of Gen Z workers in the UK are considering taking on a second job to help cover basic living costs, according to new research that highlights the growing financial pressure on younger employees.
Boostworks research, based on responses from over 5,600 working adults, found that financial pressure is the biggest motivator for all generations for driving the uptake of side hustles (71% of Millennials, 69% Gen X, 59% Baby Boomers and 57% of Gen Z) to make ends meet. Findings suggest the cost-of-living crisis is reshaping how the younger workforce engages with work, rest, and their primary employers.
Innovation requires ‘forgiving us when we do the wrong thing when trying something new’ – DWP boss
Enabling departments to better innovate requires the systems that scrutinise and support government “forgiving” mistakes made when pursuing new ideas, according to the head of the Department of Work and Pensions. In a recent appearance before parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, DWP permanent secretary Sir Peter Schofield was asked by Labour MP Chris Kane about the obstacles to innovation faced by Whitehall agencies.
In response, Schofield agreed with Kane’s suggestion that government might benefit from “seeing failure as an opportunity to learn, rather than an exercise in sharing out blame”.
Read more on our sister publication PublicTechnology.net
Employers can save millions: New FitOn Health and Havarti risk data shows preventive care reduces healthcare costs
Chronic conditions like obesity, musculoskeletal pain, mental health and diabetes now drive the majority of employer healthcare costs (90% as per the CDC), despite most of these conditions being preventable. As enterprises continue to drown in drug costs, latest research from actuarial experts, Havarti Risk and FitOn Health highlights the growing financial benefit of a healthy workforce.
The data shows that by engaging employees with lifestyle-focused preventive care programs, such as FitOn Health, enterprises can benefit from up to 3.6X ROI — saving $359 per engaged employee per year in healthcare and productivity savings.
WFH has ‘benefitted civil service and boosted productivity’, poll finds
Seven in 10 civil servants polled in a survey by YouGov have said having the ability to work from home has a positive effect on the civil service. A new YouGov survey of 101 officials – all ranked higher executive officer grade or above – explored civil servants’ perceptions of the Whitehall machine using the same questions the pollster asked MPs in March.
The survey, published today, found 75% of the sampled officials believe working from home has had a positive impact on their own department, and 70% think it has had a positive effect on the Whitehall civil service in general. A slightly higher proportion – 78% – said working from home has had a positive impact on employee productivity.
Read more on our sister publication Civil Service World.
Social-engineering attacks that use techniques like voice phishing to trick IT help desks into giving the hackers credentials – lawsuit ensues
Clorox on Tuesday sued Cognizant, which managed its IT help desk, alleging the company was responsible for a 2023 cyberattack that harmed Clorox’s production capability and cost the company $380 million.
In a lawsuit filed in California Superior Court, Clorox argued that Cognizant failed to protect Clorox’s computer systems by handing over credentials to the attackers without proper authentication. Clorox also claims that Cognizant botched its response to the attack, prolonging the recovery time.
