Canadian HR Reporter

Nearly half of U.S. employees who have been working from home since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic want to keep doing so when it's all over and workplaces reopen, a survey has found. Chicago-based consulting firm the Grossman Group conducted a survey of 841 U.S. workers after it found many employers reporting that the transition to work-from-home arrangements had gone better than expected and some were evaluating longer-term plans. The study also revealed that when taking into account the responses of all survey respondents — both those who have been working from home and those still going to their regular physical workplaces — more women (43 per cent) than men (34 per cent) would prefer to keep the current arrangements and work from home permanently. A vast majority of respondents had a positive view of how their organization has been handling itself — more than three-quarters of those working from home agreed that their company's leadership has lived up to the values of their organization during the pandemic and are keeping them involved while they remain physically separated from their co-workers and supervisors. More than half of businesses in the U.K. support their government's plan to increase and broaden that country's National Living Wage (NLW), a survey has found. The Learning and Work Institute in conjunction with Carnegie UK Trust polled 1,002 businesses on the U.K. government's plan to increase the NLW to £10.50 ($18) from the current £8.72 ($15) — two-thirds of mean hourly earnings — by 2024. In addition, the NLW will be extended to all workers aged 21 and older. Currently, there is a separate, lower minimum wage for young workers ranging from £4.55 ($8) for 16- and 17-year-olds to Workers struggling with finances are taking steps to shore up finances until the pandemic ends are searching for additional income streams are filing for unemployment benefits MOVE TO BOOST LIVING WAGE POPULAR WITH U.K. EMPLOYERS More than half of U.S. workers are earning half or even less of what they did before the onset of COVID-19, a survey has revealed. Job search website FlexJobs, in partnership with Prudential, surveyed 1,100 of its members and found that 44 per cent said they were struggling financially, compared to 24 per cent pre-pandemic. REMOTE WORKERS HAPPY STAYING WHERE THEY ARE £8.20 ($14) for 21- to-24-year-olds. Two-thirds of employers in the survey believed the NLW increase would not have a negative impact on their business, although 55 per cent of those with more than a quarter of their employees earning a low wage said it would. Despite this, 52 per cent of them support the NLW increase. Half of survey respondents said they would do nothing after the NLW increased and expanded, but 21 per cent expected to pass the increased cost to consumers and 15 per cent expected to hire fewer staff. 84% 49% 28% TRUST, SATISIFACTION HIGH DURING PANDEMIC FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS SOUGHT BY WORKERS 90% said their trust in their organization has improved or stayed the same 88% said their satisfaction with their employer has increased or stayed the same 80% felt their direct supervisor is providing necessary information to do their jobs during the pandemic www.hrreporter.com 17

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