Name: Why are workplace absences on the rise?
Start: 2024-03-25T16:02:00Z
End: 2024-03-25T16:02:06.000Z
Location: BrightTALK
Rating: 2

‘InsiderHR’ is an educational resource that lets human resources professionals explore contemporary HR issues in a level of depth unavailable through more traditional avenues.

Channelling valuable thought leadership from experts and academics to those actively involved in the HR field, delivering knowledge to transform HR practitioners’ approach in a challenging and ever-evolving business environment.

HR leaders and Reward & Benefits specialists are well-versed in navigating the needs of a multigenerational workforce.  However, it’s hard to ignore the voices of two specific generations, asking very different things from their employers: both have needs that are critical to their retention.  

Join us as we explore the contrasting needs of Gen Z and Gen X. Our Gen Z colleagues, known for their future-focused mindset, clear demand for hyper-personalised support, and an eye on long-term career expectations. Gen X sitting squarely in the sandwich generation, balancing care for both young and old, their immediate requirements include reducing work/life stress through flexible working and flexible care solutions for both children and elderly parents. Cost of living pressures take their toll on both generations, while the budget pressures are real for employers.   

This session will unpack what it really takes to engage, retain, and empower these two pivotal groups—and how smart investment in wellbeing, flexibility, and family support solutions across all life stages can drive ROI across your workforce. 

Key Learnings: 

- The needs behind the stereotypes: Get expert insights you can actively put into practice to engage your workforce. 

- Real world research data: when it comes to family life, understand what Gen Z and Gen X are looking for in their next employer; and what immediately alienates them. 

- Why it is worth investing: analyse the ROI when you provide the supports your multigenerational workforce demands. 

 

Why Attend? 

This is for all HR, reward, benefits and people leaders looking to: 

- Engage multiple generations and meet the needs of every life stage at work 

- Retain talented parents and carers with cutting edge strategies 

- Understand the trends and stay ahead. 

- Enjoy a lively hour of discussion and insight with actionable take-aways

Gen Z vs. Gen X: Who needs more from you as an employer?

Join us for a dynamic panel discussion designed for HR and business leaders seeking to transform employee engagement. This session will explore how organisations are leveraging strategic Employee Value Propositions (EVP), personalised benefits, and cutting-edge technology to drive meaningful impact. Featuring real-world insights from experienced client leaders and a Gallagher expert, this webinar promises actionable takeaways and thought leadership you can apply immediately. 

- Understand how strategic Employee Value Propositions (EVPs) can strengthen employee engagement.

- Explore ways to design and deliver personalised employee benefits that resonate with diverse workforce needs.

- Learn how emerging technologies are transforming engagement strategies and enabling measurable impact.

- Gain real-world insights from experienced HR leaders on practical approaches and lessons learned.

Strategies that Stick: How Top HR Leaders Boost Engagement with Benefits Technology

AI is on the rise and nowhere is that more evident than in the world of Talent Intelligence. But what does it actually mean in practice?
In this episode of HR in Review, Verity Gough is joined by Toby Culshaw, former Head of Talent Intelligence at Amazon and Philips, founder of the Talent Intelligence Collective, and author of Talent Intelligence: Use Business and People Data to Drive Organisational Performance.

This conversation isn’t about AI hype but rather, it’s about how AI is actually being applied within organisations – in particular, in Talent Intelligence functions, and how you can adapt it to work for your business, whether you’re a global enterprise or a growing SME.

Smarter, faster, sharper? What’s the deal with AI in talent intelligence?

In today's challenging economic climate, employers are striving to balance the bottom line while facing rising costs and the imperative to boost productivity. Alongside this the focus on retaining top talent and ensuring employee wellbeing remains crucial to business performance.  

Discover the latest research that proves family-friendly workplaces excel in all these areas!  Hear what a fully developed family-inclusive strategy looks like at Marsh McLennan, the world’s leading professional services firm. 

Why Attend? 
• Access the latest data from Bright Horizons’ newly released Work+Family Snapshot research with nearly 2,000 employees.  
• Hear how Marsh McLennan has developed a family inclusive culture for its people with a range of supports across life stages from new parents, through the school and teen years as well as support for carers of adults. 
• Explore the contrast between family-friendly employers with high engagement and performance and the wider UK population of working parents and carers.  
• Take away the tips that help leading employers to be seen as 22 percentage points more supportive than the average employer.  

Who Should Attend? 
• HR Leaders: Gain insights to elevate your employee engagement and retention strategies. 
• Business Leaders: Discover how family-friendly policies can transform your bottom line. 
• Reward, Benefit & Wellbeing Leaders: Understand how family support can help create a more inclusive and productive workplace.

New Data reveals the key to performance AND engagement

This episode features Chris Robinson, Senior L&D & Culture Manager at Octopus Electric Vehicles, part of the Octopus Energy Group. We focus on the state of play for UK skills, what businesses can do to ensure they are future skills ready; and which skills will be in greatest demand. Chris gives his tips and advice plus ways in which Octopus EV are tackling the skills shortfall.

Future Skills Ready: Tackling the UK Skills Gap

Employee motivation is on the decline, impacting everything from employee experience, to performance, and ultimately the bottom line. But all is not lost! Culture Amp’s latest benchmark data uncovers the critical driving factors for employee motivation and engagement - and what you can do to reverse the trend.

Culture Amp's benchmarks data (updated twice a year) leverages the world's largest employee data lake to provide over 3,000 benchmarks from real employee data. Building a picture of the state of engagement globally, it provides valuable comparisons and context for your own results.  

Join us as we break down the key findings from our latest benchmarks and reveal what’s really driving motivation at work. Don’t miss this chance to turn data into action and readdress motivation in your workforce.

What you’ll learn;

- Why motivation is declining – insights from Culture Amp’s latest benchmark data on what’s driving disengagement.
- The hidden gap between effort and recognition – how unclear performance expectations and lack of meaningful feedback are impacting employees.
- How to apply benchmark data to your organisation – practical ways to interpret and use Culture Amp’s HR benchmarks to drive engagement, performance and retention.

Reignite employee motivation with data insights

In this podcast, we dive into what’s coming down the pipeline for employment law in 2025 and 2026. If you’re in HR and want to stay ahead of the game, this episode covers the key legal changes to watch out for—and how to get your team prepared without the stress. It’s your quick guide to staying compliant and confident.

Guest: Maria Hoeritzauer, Partner, Crossland Employment Solicitors
Maria provides practical and strategic advice on a wide range of day-to-day HR matters, including performance management, dismissals, redundancies, and employment litigation. She has extensive experience drafting, advising on, and negotiating contractual terms—ranging from consultancy agreements and executive service contracts to salary sacrifice arrangements, internal policies, and employment-related warranties and indemnities.

Compliance snapshot: HR's 2025 legal checklist

We all know the world of work is evolving fast, but with Gartner research highlighting that 58% of HR leaders are unsure which skills to invest in for the future, it’s clear that predicting what’s next isn’t easy. 

As businesses navigate rapid change, the ability to hire and develop adaptable, high-potential talent has never been more important. The challenge? Traditional hiring methods don’t always identify the skills that will drive success in the long run and can lead to costly hiring mistakes. 

To stay ahead, leaders need a smarter approach to talent—one that prioritises potential, emotional intelligence, and agility to build a workforce that thrives in the face of change.

Join Alex Clinton, Global Training Specialist at Thomas on Thursday 8th May at 11am BST to discover how you can identify and develop the skills that will drive success in an unpredictable future.

Insights you can expect to gain from this webinar:

- What the future skills gap means for you
- Identifying the essential skills necessary to thrive
- How to rethink hiring to avoid the costs of a bad hire
- The role of emotional intelligence in future-proofing talent
- Practical tips and advice on navigating the changing nature of the workforce.
 
This webinar is for HR executives, HR and talent acquisition professionals looking to gain a deeper understanding into future proofing your recruitment approach for organisational success.

The secret to future-proofing your workforce

Can a performance process be satisfying, meaningful and worthwhile for everyone in your organisation? A thoughtfully designed performance management process is necessary to retain and motivate high performers. 

We’ll discuss ways to ensure the process is designed in a way that is centred on fairness and promotes productivity by taking a Culture-First approach.

Join Culture Amp’s Senior People Scientist, Naren Vijayaragavan as he explores how you can improve your performance management design and put the individual at the heart of the process.

Speaker:

Naren Vijayaragavan, Senior People Scientist, Culture Amp

Build a performance system that motivates, develops & retains talent

Political shifts in the US have prompted a swathe of multinational organisations to scale back their DEI initiatives, in some cases, scrapping policies altogether. Verity Gough is joined by guests Kul Mahay, founder of Ignite Your Inner Potential, and The Human-Centred Leadership Conference and host of the globally recognised Human-Centred Leadership Podcast, and Joanne Lockwood, Inclusion and Belonging specialist, founder of SEE Change Happen, an organisation that helps businesses create positive people experiences, and the host of the popular podcast; Inclusion Bites.

DEI Under Attack: How HR Can Fight Back

Eagle Hill Consulting has reported that connected employees see a 60% improvement in their ability to perform effectively and are 55% more likely to go above and beyond their responsibilities. These outcomes show how connection drives success not only for individuals but also for teams and the organization, meaning fostering a sense of connection is no longer a “nice to have”, but a business imperative. In 2025, connection will be vital for thriving in hybrid, inclusive, and fast-evolving workplaces.

Join Stephen Cuppello, Director of Psychology at Thomas on Thursday 23rd January at 11am GMT to explore the critical role of connection in driving workplace success.

Insights you can expect to gain from this webinar:

- Define the different types of connection and their impact
- The common challenges to fostering a connected workforce and how to overcome them.
- Understand how to measure employee connection
- Solutions for maintaining strong connections for hybrid environments
- How to empower employees to self-manage connection and collaboration
 
This webinar is for HR, C Suite executives, people managers and those looking to enhance organisational performance through creating connection.

How to leverage team connectivity for success in 2025

In this episode, Verity Gough talks to Chief People Officer Trish Hewitt about the impending New Employment Rights Bill, why it's important, and key elements that HR needs to understand. With practical tips for preparing your organisation for the changes, Trish gives us the low-down on what HR needs to know.

Guest: Trish Hewitt

Trish Hewitt is a seasoned people professional with 20 years of experience. She is a Chief People Officer, runs her own HR consultancy and has a popular HR podcast, a YouTube Channel and has achieved viral success with TikTok. Passionate that HR should be about uplifting people, Trish has worked across a myriad of different industries and counts a number of celebrities amongst her clients. 
Find her on TikTok and YouTube: https://linktr.ee/taphr

Questions for Trish:
What is the Employment Rights Bill and why is it so important?
Why have we already seen changes to the Bill?
Is the bill something positive for employees and employers in the UK?
What are the key things people need to know about the Bill?
Are there things that we were expecting to be in the Bill that haven’t been included?
When are the changes likely to happen?
Could there be changes to the bill before it becomes law?
Is there anything that employers need to do in preparation for the bill?

New Employment Rights Bill: What does HR need to know?

Gartner reports that 75% of HR leaders say managers are overwhelmed, and 82% believe they’re not equipped to lead change. In today's fast-paced work environment, managers face immense pressure from constant demands and increasing workloads. This often leads to disengagement, stress, and poor performance, significantly impacting their teams and the overall success. Addressing these issues is crucial to ensure that managers can lead effectively, maintain team morale, and drive organizational success.

Join Alex Clinton, Global Training Specialist at Thomas & Jennifer Robinson, Organisational Development Manager at Canopius Group on Thursday 26th September at 11am GMT to understand how to help managers and teams build a culture of understanding, respect, and connection to enhance performance.

Insights you can expect to gain from this webinar:

- Understand the root cause of why managers are overwhelmed
- Explore the critical role managers play in team engagement
- Strategies for building trust and respect within teams to foster collaboration
- Techniques to boost team engagement and productivity through effective leadership
- Insights into leveraging people science tools for improved manager effectiveness

This webinar is for HR, C Suite executives, people managers and those looking to enhance their leadership capabilities and foster a positive work environment.

The Manager Impact: How to Build Effective Teams and Drive Success

In this episode of the Mind, Body, Work Podcast, host Joanne Swann sits down with Simon Garrity, Senior Workforce Management expert at Protime, to explore the evolving landscape of work in the UK. They discuss how businesses are navigating shifts in productivity, the impact of new legislation, and the possibility of a four-day workweek.
Simon shares insights from his extensive experience helping organisations improve performance through innovative workforce management technology. Tune in for a conversation that examines the future of work, company culture, and what businesses can expect in the coming years.

Information on Protime

Founded in 1995, Protime is the market leader in time recording, workforce scheduling and access control. Thanks to a continuous focus on innovation, the company delivers workforce management solutions across a wide range of customers and sectors. For example, Protime has over 5,000 time registration installations in Europe and this at almost 4,700 customers across Europe. Protime has been voted Great Place to Work for 10 years in a row and strives to be a "Once in a lifetime employer". The organisation has about 500 'Protimers' and achieved a turnover of EUR 54.6 million in 2023.

Information on Simon Garrity

Simon is Senior Workforce management expert at Protime. Simon specialises in helping organisations use technology improve productivity, commercial performance and employee wellbeing through technology. He is responsible for the UK business of Protime, a market leader in time registration, access control, visitor registration and personnel planning.

Questions:
- How do we view time and productivity in 2024?
- There are upcoming legislative changes with the HMRC, also in the news is the proposed four-day working week. Can you take us through those?
- Given the way the UK views work and productivity, how is this going to impact company culture?
- What is productivity going to look like in three years time?

"4 Day Work Week and Boundaried Work", Is This The Future For The UK?

Join our webinar on Thursday 13th June at 10am to hear a comprehensive action plan for HR professionals who want to introduce a fertility benefit at their company.

Attend this session to hear Kirsty McLean, Head of Wellbeing at Nomura UK, and 
Becky Kearns, Co-Founder of Fertility Matters at Work and ex-HR professional at HR at Vision Express, e-on, Mars and M&S, discussing what fertility benefits are, how they work and how they affect employees. 

They will then answer these key questions for anyone looking to implement a fertility benefit at their company:

How do you get executive buy-in for your fertility benefit initiative?
How can you add a fertility benefit to your existing health insurance cover?
How can you ensure the benefit is inclusive to same sex couples and single parents?
How much will a fertility benefit cost at your company?
Why is it important that your benefit provider offers at-home scans and consultations? 
How can you set up, or get support from, a fertility ESG?

The UK is experiencing a work engagement crisis, with a recent Gallop study showing that only 10% of employees are engaged at work, compared to 34% in the USA and 33% in India. Also, while 61% expect a fertility benefit, only 17% of UK employers offer one, compared to 39% in the states.

Offering a fertility benefit at work shows you care for your colleagues and support them at stressful times in their life. This in turn will strengthen their emotional bond and commitment to your company.

Fertility benefits - a practical guide for HR

Amid the Return to Office trend and reports of a cooling jobs market, some employers talk of rebalancing the emphasis on wellbeing, adding an increased focus on productivity.

But what does productivity mean as we near the mid-point in this second decade of the 21st  century? Bright Horizons clients say their focus is on workforce sustainability and future-proofing. 

So, among the best employers, productivity is not seen as a narrow focus on ‘getting more out of people, at all costs’ but rather ensuring that great people, with all their expensive training and valuable knowledge and networks, stay fit to keep working and are able to give of their best day-to-day.

We’ll be including a look at newly-released data from Bright Horizons’ client employee survey: the Work+Family Snapshot.

Join this lively conversation, with our panel of leading thinkers, as we discuss:

- What we understand by productivity in our fast-changing world of work
- Strategic actions being taken by leading employers to support sustained high performance.
- Evidence that employers helping remove life’s everyday hurdles see better productivity, performance and wellbeing in their employees as well as higher employer approval

Reserve your place today.

What does Productivity mean in 2024?

Collecting feedback has its challenges. While the majority (59%) of HR pros believe they get the right amount of employee feedback, over a quarter (29%) say they don’t get enough.*  Of course, a critical component of is getting feedback that is open and honest, and here 72% are concerned that feedback doesn’t reflect how employees actually feel

In this webinar SurveyMonkey will show you top tips for creating surveys that help you capture relevant feedback. We will discuss how to set yourself up for success using survey best practices as well as tips for analysing your feedback.

You will learn:
 
- Survey design – designing your survey in a way that optimises data collection

- Survey frequency - how often should you survey your employees

- The steps to analyse your data to unlock the most insights

- Integrations that can help you get more value from your surveys

- Turning insights into action

If your surveys are already built out and collecting data, not to worry - you can use what you learn in this webinar to revamp your surveys and start analysing your data like a pro!

Join Lily Walling, Solutions Engineer at SurveyMonkey and James Marsh from HRreview as they guide you towards getting the most out of your employee feedback.

Register today!

Make the most out of your employee feedback

Across all the changes of the last 5 years, Wellbeing has stayed firmly on the agenda for leading employers. It’s seen as a vital focus for talent retention, attraction and employee experience among the most competitive employers. Now with five (or more) generations in the workplace and a dizzying array of wellbeing benefits available, how do you achieve a coherent strategy?

Andrei Ursu of Bloomberg and Benedict Gautrey of Great Places to work will discuss how paying attention to family support gives a clear backbone to a wellbeing policy across life stages. This requires a wide definition of family (including children of all ages, elder relatives, partners, family-forming, pets to name a few, among a diverse range of family structures and partnerships).

Jennifer Liston-Smith of Bright Horizons will delve deeper into their 2024 Modern Families Index to explore – among other things – the intersectional needs of the sandwich generation with children and elder dependants and the need for smart thinking in addressing family support.

Join this lively conversation, with our panel of leading thinkers, as we discuss:

- Practical and strategic actions being taken by leading employers across life stages.
- How to achieve high engagement through innovative strategies for inclusion at the point of need.
- The role of networks and champions in communicating and shaping wellbeing benefits

Multigenerational Wellbeing: the Role of Family Benefits

In recent years, the United Kingdom has experienced a significant increase in sickness absence rates, affecting both individuals and businesses.

In this video, we will delve into the reasons behind this rise and its impact on various demographic groups.

Including: Variation of sickness absence rates in different job types, absence patterns in different regions & countries, presenteeism and how the pandemic has affected leave of absence rates.

Why are workplace absences on the rise?

Human Resources

absence

Flexible Work

Employee Advocacy

Talent Management

Company Culture

Management

Many elements come into play when attracting the right talent. Is your careers page up-to-date? Does your website accurately represent your company culture and communicate it clearly to recruited applicants? In terms of internal processes, do you have an ongoing talent acquisition strategy? How efficient are your application screening and onboarding processes? Where and how are you looking for top candidates and are you enabling them to find you? Discover best practices and learn from industry thought leaders by joining the recruiting community.

Recruiting

Happy employees make productive employees. HR managers are now finding that compensation and benefits alone cannot keep employees happy; they also need nurturing through proper training and development. Join the BrightTALK talent management community to learn how to engage and retain your best talent by providing them with the tools and rewards they need to enhance their performance and reach their potential.

Small businesses and enterprises alike are competing for not only market share, but also for the best employees to move their businesses forward. Competitive salary and benefits packages are the foundation of high employee satisfaction. Join this community to keep up with changing regulations and learn how to optimize workforce costs with competitive yet cost-effective employee benefits and compensation plans.

Benefits and Compensation

Modern human resources professionals are charged with not only the recruitment of talent, but also retention, satisfaction and management. They also support the training, assessment and compensation aspects of employee management. Join this community to connect with thought leaders and learn about trends in benefits, compensation and talent management. Stay ahead of the curve to attract and retain top talent and strengthen organizational leadership and culture.

HR Strategy

Human resources is intrinsically linked to business success and requires a thoughtful balance of a variety of complex issues. The human resources community on BrightTALK is made up of thousands of professionals in human resources exchanging human resources best practices and advice. Watch hundreds of on-demand webinars for immediate information or participate in upcoming live webinars and have your questions answered by respected HR thought leaders.

Why are workplace absences on the rise?

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HRreview - Inside HR