Round-up of HR news: Motherhood, discrimination, and mental health

In this week’s round-up of HR news, women are once again experiencing less benefits. Also, Asian discrimination reportedly picked up during COVID-19, and remote working could be causing increased mental health issues.

How offering daycare could boost attraction

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) discussed how in the US, more companies are starting to offer daycare at work.

According to the article, talent shortages are the main driver behind these incentives as businesses struggle to attract workers. WSJ said that this could become the norm in the country as a way to bring people into companies.

Australia could learn from these decisions as childcare costs have increased 41 per cent in the last eight years. With talent shortages persisting, this could help to attract talent and increase retention.

Women retiring with far less money

As seen in The Guardian, Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work research found that Australian women, on average, earn $1 million less in their lifetime than men and are retiring with $136,000 less in superannuation.

The data was released on International Women’s Day and found that women are retiring with $151,000 under the “comfortable” level.

According to the Centre of Future Work, better family benefits would help to turn these statistics around by providing women with more affordable childcare and education.

The gender pay gap also plays a significant role in the results, as according to The Guardian, men earn more than women in 95 per cent of occupations.

Workplace Asian discrimination

As reported by Harvard Business Review (HBR), Asian workers faced increased prejudice through the pandemic as blame was thrown and COVID-19 was racialised.

According to HBR, Asian-American and Asian-Canadian workers were interviewed, and the pictures they painted of their treatment over the last few years were overwhelmingly negative.

Colleagues and employers alike reportedly blamed Asian workers for the pandemic and created an “us versus them” mindset.

HBR said that those affected by these issues should confront the aggressors, report problems to management, and open up about experiences.

Remote work depression

Remote work may be causing higher rates of depression, as discussed by SHRM.

Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) released research that found that 40 per cent of fully remote workers and 38 per cent of hybrid workers had an increased likelihood of anxiety and depression, whereas 35 per cent of in-office workers reported the same.

“The differences in prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms between hybrid, remote and onsite are statistically significant. Our research illustrates that remote work may not be the ideal solution for every employee,” said Candace Nelson, director of research at IBI.

Employers may benefit by discussing options with their workers and finding out what working options suit them best.