HRreview (UK) - Latest News and Information
Technology Pulse
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
The UK government unveiled a £4 million TechFirst Women’s Programme to fund 300 paid six‑month placements and a return‑to‑work “returnship” pilot for women who have been out of tech roles for at least 18 months. The initiative also launches a TechFirst Girls Competition with IBM, targeting thousands of 12‑ and 13‑year‑olds to spark early interest in coding and AI. Ministers say the gender gap costs the economy £2‑3.5 billion annually, and the package aims to rebuild the talent pipeline and ensure women shape future technologies. A call for evidence will inform longer‑term policy on gender bias in the sector.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has launched a petition to defend the UK’s Employment Rights Act after Reform UK pledged a “Great Repeal Bill” that would scrap the act along with other legislation. The campaign has gathered more than 23,400 signatures,...
The Trades Union Congress reports that UK workers lost £28.5 billion to unpaid overtime in 2025, affecting roughly 3.5 million employees – about one in eight of the workforce. On average, each affected worker forfeits 6.8 hours weekly, translating to a personal loss...
A senior Sainsbury’s store manager, Darren Cooper, was awarded £11,852 after a Cardiff employment tribunal found that his exclusion from a regional leadership post on LinkedIn and Yammer constituted harassment linked to his disability. The omission occurred while Cooper was...
Financial stress is prompting a sharp rise in UK workplace absenteeism, with 83% of employees taking at least one day off in the past year due to money‑related anxiety. More than three‑quarters of workers have missed four or more days,...
Private‑sector median pay awards rose to 3.4% in the three months to January 2026, up from 3.0% previously. One‑fifth of private settlements now exceed 4%, indicating growing pressure to offset lingering cost‑of‑living stresses despite easing inflation. Manufacturing saw its median...
Permanent hiring in the UK edged toward stabilisation in February, with placements slipping only marginally—the smallest decline since March 2023. The slowdown in demand slowed to its weakest pace in nine months, while the vacancy index rose to 45.8, still...
A CharityJob survey of 2,800 UK charity workers shows burnout is reshaping career priorities, with 87% willing to accept lower pay for better work‑life balance. Seventy‑eight percent report experiencing burnout at least sometimes, and flexible or hybrid arrangements are now...
Employers are being urged to tighten professional standards as the Chartered Week Alliance, a coalition of over 40 bodies, writes to the government for stronger backing of Chartered status and professional registration. The alliance argues that clear competence, ethics and...
Payments automation platform Modulr has partnered with HR tech provider HiBob to embed its payment engine directly into HiBob’s payroll module. The integration lets customers initiate salary and tax payments without leaving the HR system, eliminating file exports and multiple...
The CIPD’s latest research links strong workplace connections to better leadership outcomes, showing that leaders who prioritize trust, open communication, and emotional intelligence drive higher employee engagement, productivity, and retention. Different styles—servant, transformational, and reflective—produce distinct benefits such as increased...
A new analysis of ONS data by HR software firm Ciphr reveals that 88% of large UK towns and cities have a gender pay gap, with more than half exceeding 7% in favor of men. Bracknell tops the list with...
Artificial intelligence is reshaping finance employment, pushing digital and technical skills to the forefront while diminishing the perceived value of traditional accounting tasks. Only 14% of finance leaders consider classic accounting abilities essential for new hires, and 41% prioritize AI...
A UK study by retailer Hillarys estimates workers spend £48 billion each year on caffeine, snacks and other quick fixes to stay awake at work. Sixty‑four percent of employees report weekly spending, averaging £6.23 per day, with finance and tech staff...
A record 1.23 million workers are now on zero‑hour contracts, up 91 000 in the past year and 181 000 since mid‑2024. The surge is driven primarily by young workers and those outside full‑time education, with women slightly over‑represented. Employers face growing uncertainty...
