News roundup: Annual Barometer and good bye to the 9-5!

6 January 2012

Happy New Year to you all! We were greeted at the beginning of the New Year by the Annual Barometer from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Published on Tuesday, it forecasts that the number of people in work in the UK will fall by 120,000 in 2012 despite a continued 'productivity pause' and further real pay squeeze, with unemployment rising to 2.85 million.

And whilst 2011 shapes up to be a year of substantial employment law change, we reported earlier this week that the Government has published its new rates for statutory benefits, which will apply from April 2012. Read the full Ochre article.

We reported this alongside planned changes to the limits and amounts payable under employment legislation due to take effect from 1 February 2012. Read the full Ochre article.  

Elsewhere we’ve found the comprehensive review of sickness absence by People Management really interesting. It looks at one of the hottest topics from 2011 as stress became the number one cause of long-term sick leave. Read the full People Management article. 

Also catching our interest was a survey carried out for OnePoll for Vodafone UK, which has revealed that 70 per cent of British employers believe the nine-to-five working day is on the way out. The survey identified increases in working outside of normal working hours and home working.

And finally a date for the diary: An opportunity to hear the outcome of Dame Carol Black's recent sickness absence review and how it will affect your business, which is a webinar taking place on 24 January at 2pm. Sign up through Personnel Today.

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