News roundup: Fees, lost productivity and expenses day!
16 December 2011
With winter taking hold and the first signs of over-indulgence showing on colleagues' faces, a survey of 1,948 office workers, by 2e2, the ICT services company, showed that just under half (47%) of the respondents stated that the best ideas come when in a pub or restaurant!
But the research also revealed that commuting and the traditional 'nine to five' lead to stress, fatigue and a £1.21 billion bill for employers in lost productivity. 63% said they feel restrained by traditional working hours and, further more, stated that they would be more productive if there was a greater degree of flexibility around the hours they worked.
HR Magazine reported some startling figures from the report: "Transport problems or delays are causing UK workers to lose on average 1.5 working days each year, costing UK businesses £1.21 billion in lost productivity. Worse still these bad journeys were causing workers to be more tired and stressed, resulting in further productivity losses to the tune of £1.03 billion a year."
Elsewhere this week, the Government announced plans to charge people to bring a claim to an employment tribunal, suggesting fees of between £150 and £1,750. The plans will be consulted upon, which ends in March 2012. At Ochre we'll be keeping a close eye on developments regarding the proposed fees.
And with Cyber Monday having taken place earlier this month, it seems that the 13th December is also gaining a reputation – as "Expenses Day". A record number of work-related expense claims were again expected across UK businesses on Tuesday 13th as employees tidy up loose ends before the Christmas break!