Stafflex Recruitment News update

Sarah McDonagh, Office Team Leader looks at how the ICO has been flooded with calls about GDPR, employers named and shamed for underpaying minimum wage workers and a recent report which shows work has a negative impact on self-esteem.

71% of people say work has negative impact on their self-esteem

According to research from CV Library, one of the UK’s leading independent job boards, 71% of the 1,200 UK workers surveyed said that their career has had a negative impact on their self-esteem with a further 55.7% feeling that they place too much importance on their job.

Lee Biggins Managing Director of CV Library said: “Providing constructive feedback after they’ve finished a task and having regular one-to-one catch-ups can go some way towards helping to build your employees’ confidence in the workplace.”

It is important to maintain a good work life balance as neglecting can be damaging to an individual’s mental well-being.

ICO receiving over 1,500 calls regarding GDPR per week

The Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham recently revealed that her office has been receiving around 1,500 calls a week about the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which is due to come into effect on 25 May 2018.

GDPR is a new regulation aiming to strengthen and unify data protection for individuals, placing added responsibilities on businesses to be more accountable for data protection.

The government has promised hefty fines for businesses that do not comply so this is not something to be taken lightly. There is already a raft of information accessible online to help businesses through the process, in particular on the ico.org.uk website.

Almost 180 employers named and shamed for underpaying thousands of minimum wage workers

As well as recovering backpay for the 9,200 workers, the government also fined the employers a total of £1.3 million in penalties for breaking national minimum wage laws. The most prolific offending sectors were retailers, hospitality businesses and hairdressers.

It is vital that businesses adhere to the minimum wage laws as it raises the earnings of low-wage workers so they spend more and ultimately boost the economy. But also from an ethical point of view they have a direct responsibility to care for their employees.

Further reading:

• To read the full article about work having a negative impact on workers’ self-esteem, click here.
• To read the full article on ICO receiving 1,500 calls on GPDR, click here.
• To read the Government’s press release on employers underpaying minimum workers, click here.