First published on Monday, April 28, 2025
Last updated on Monday, April 28, 2025
Welcome to HR Heartbeat, where we take a look at the week’s most pressing HR and employment law stories. With over 18 years’ experience in employee relations, I give my opinion on current trends impacting your business, as well as my own personal commentary on all things HR and legal.
Sleep deprived but still spending…
It turns out that poor sleep is just as bad for your wallet as it is for your health. A new survey shows that a third of Britons are kept awake by financial anxiety, while one in five admit to impulse spending when they’re knackered. From unnecessary tech to late-night holiday bookings, tired brains are making expensive decisions.
Worse still, almost half of Brits report poor sleep 3 or more nights a week, averaging just 5.7 hours. It’s a vicious cycle, stress about money ruins your sleep, and bad sleep ruins for financial discipline.
Business owners—don’t ignore these warnings signs. Support your employees early with Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) and keep your business ticking over with smart absence management tools. Why? Well, a well-rested team is a more resilient and cost-savvy one.
Britain’s workers: sad, stressed, and seriously disengaged
Bad news: British workers are now some of the saddest, loneliest, and most disengaged in Europe, according to Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace report. A gloomy 26% report feeling daily sadness, 17% feel daily loneliness, and just 10% say they’re engaged at work. That’s half the rate we boasted back in 2009 by the way.
And who’s largely to blame? Well, stressed out managers apparently. Gallup found that 70% of the variance in engagement boils down to the quality of management. Turns out when managers are overwhelmed, poorly trained, and pulled in a dozen directions, it drags the whole team down with them.
Fortunately, there is a cure in my opinion. It’s to ensure you continuously upskill managers with cutting edge e-learning, and track and manage performance, combined with wellbeing tools. And let’s be honest, Britain needs the help.
Back from maternity leave… to find the office gone?
Imagine returning from maternity leave, only to discover your office has vanished—literally cleared out, as confirmed by staff at the local Greggs. That’s exactly what happened to a recruitment worker who has now been awarded over £25,000 at tribunal.
The tribunal found the company failed to communicate properly about the closure, concluding it was linked to the employee’s maternity leave—a textbook example of what not to do. Beyond the hefty compensation, it’s a reminder that poor handling of parental leave returns can seriously backfire.
The advice is simple: communicate early, document everything, and treat flexible working requests fairly and consistently. Having a clear, codified process not only protects you legally but also shows returning parents they’re genuinely valued. The right systems can make it easy to manage flexible work requests, track decisions, and avoid the kind of chaos (and tribunal losses) no business needs.
And that’s a wrap from me. Tune in next time for my take on the latest headlines and employment law stories, helping keep your business ahead!
