Steve Herbert: The art of the deal?
Could a low-cost universal wellbeing tax break bring benefits for the UK government, employers and employees? Steve Herbert, co-host of the Benefits Unboxed podcast and a veteran HR and...
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Economy
FTSE 100 CEO pay hits new record as calls grow for workplace reforms
Median pay for FTSE 100 chief executives has climbed to a record £4.58 million, around 122 times the pay of the median full-time UK worker, according to the High...
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Heavy reliance on state pension highlights need for stronger workplace savings support
The government’s latest review of the state pension age (SPA) begins today against a backdrop of fresh research showing how heavily many older people rely on the state pension...
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Lidl unveils fifth pay rise in two years as employer says total wage investment £70m
Supermarket chain Lidl GB will increase pay for thousands of employees from 1 September 2025 as the employer confirmed its fifth wage uplift in just two years, which it...
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Two in five UK workers risk retirement poverty, warns Scottish Widows
Almost two fifths (39 percent) of people in the UK could struggle to cover their basic needs in retirement, with workers in Northern Ireland and the North East facing...
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Significant number of over-55s would quit jobs if flexible working cut
Almost one in four (37 percent) workers aged 55 plus would consider leaving their job if flexible hours were significantly reduced, according to a report from the Standard Life...
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GDP growth slows, while productivity dips but remains above pre-covid levels
UK gross domestic product (GDP) continued to increase in the second quarter of 2025, although growth has slowed from the first quarter of the year. Figures from the Office...
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More than 2m people contact NHS mental health services, prompting workplace concerns
NHS England data shows 2.16 million people sought mental health support in June, with the majority being working age adults. The data shows that 1.44 million people contacted adult...
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UK employers risk losing talent as two in five admit to ‘passive’ promotion of perks
Two in five employers admit they take a passive approach to promoting benefits and leave it to employees to initiate take-up. Grid, the industry body for the group risk...
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Managers divided over raising state pension age amid concerns about prospects for older staff
More than a third (37 percent) of UK managers believe the state pension age (SPA) should increase in line with longer life expectancy, research has found. The survey of...
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BENEFITS UNBOXED PODCAST
Benefits Unboxed
The podcast from Benefits Expert, the title for HR, reward and benefits professionals.
Seasoned professionals examine the challenges and innovations in today’s employee benefits, reward and HR sector. Every episode, they will unbox a key issue and unpack what it really means for employers and how they can tackle it.
The regulars are Claire Churchard, editor of Benefits Expert; Carole Goldsmith, HR director at the Royal Horticultural Society, and Steve Herbert, consultant and rewards & benefits veteran.
Benefits Unboxed – Hybrid work: reality versus rhetoric
Return-to-office mandates are a topic that’s generating plenty of heat in the media, but how closely do the headlines match workplace reality?
In this episode, one of a three-part series of 10-minute podcasts, hosts Claire Churchard and Steve Herbert discuss data that shows remote or home working is on the rise.
We look at what this means for HR, from balancing employee flexibility with business needs, to ensuring benefits packages remain fair and accessible. We discuss the pinch points, and the opportunities, in building the new normal of work.
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