Best of the week: Love is in the air in the workplace

February 12, 2021 12:29 PM

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, HR managers are being tasked with monitoring the romantic happenings of their employees and the expense reports to match.

Thirty-four percent of employees have been involved in or are currently involved in a workplace romance, according to new data from the Society for Human Resource Management. Employees are also becoming more brazen when it comes to expensing date nights: 40% have used their corporate card to purchase a personal item during the pandemic, according to Oversight, an expense management company.

For employees not spending money on fancy chocolate and teddy bears, a staycation could be the next best thing. But employees choosing to use their PTO toward student loan repayments or other perks will benefit from a renewed focus on mental health and well-being benefits employers plan to roll out this year.

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Workplace romances are on the rise despite the remote environment

COVID-19 has done little to staunch office flirtations: SHRM found that 25% of U.S. employees either began a new workplace romance during the COVID-19 pandemic or have continued an existing workplace romance that began prior to the pandemic. Nearly one-quarter of U.S. workers have a "work spouse," and 45% say they have felt romantic feelings toward this individual.

With virtual harassment on the rise and remote communication becoming more casual among coworkers, it’s pertinent that employers keep the well-being of their employees top of mind.

"HR professionals have a responsibility to protect employees from favoritism, retaliation and incidents of sexual harassment," Alex Alonso, SHRM’s chief knowledge officer, said in a release. "Ultimately, HR should encourage both honesty and professionalism to keep working relationships — and workplaces — running smoothly."

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Workplace romances are on the rise despite the remote environment

Employee Valentine’s Day celebrations could be on your company’s dime

Employees are getting more comfortable using corporate expense accounts for inappropriate purchases, a survey by the spending management company, Oversight, found. Forty percent of employees have, or know a colleague who has, purchased a personal item or service that went against company policy. While most inappropriate purchases consisted of restaurant meals (18%), one survey respondent admitted to using a corporate card to purchase an engagement ring.

The pandemic could be making this worse, especially during holidays, an Oversight executive says. Consumer spending on Valentine’s Day this year is projected to reach around $21.8 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. For this reason, Oversight advises their employer-clients to keep a close eye on their expense reports around the holiday.

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Employee Valentine’s Day celebrations could be on your company’s dime

Pandemic PTO: Why ‘staycations’ are vital to employee mental health

Even before the pandemic, employees had a tough time spending their hard-earned time off. In 2017, workers only used about half of their available vacation time, according to a Glassdoor study.

During COVID, employees are working longer hours and are struggling with mental health challenges like burnout that are impacting their productivity. These stretched-thin employees are costing employers upwards of $125 billion in lost productivity and healthcare costs, according to a study by Harvard Business School.

In order to combat the toll the pandemic has had on employee mental health and encourage time off, employers are updating their PTO policies and launching new benefits to encourage workers to take “staycations.”

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Pandemic PTO: Why 'staycations' are vital to employee mental health

Employers are focusing on engagement strategies as COVID continues

With remote work here to stay, employers are weighing what works and what doesn’t when it comes to building an engaging culture that supports employees at all levels.

While the majority of employees have embraced remote work, just 15% feel engaged with their work, according to Gallup. Disengaged employees are less productive and more likely to search for work elsewhere, which costs employers over $1 billion a year in rehiring costs, according to software provider Zenefits.

In order to retain employees, employers have been tasked with finding ways to support them through benefits, workplace communications and managerial support, says Anne Fulton, CEO of Fuel50, an employee engagement platform.

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Employers are focusing on engagement strategies as COVID continues

Free food and fitness are out as employers rethink their benefits

A survey by benefits provider Wellable found that 37% of employers plan to invest more of their budget toward wellness in 2021. Eighty-eight percent plan to add more mental health resources, 87% are upping their resources for telemedicine services and 81% are increasing benefits that target stress management.

Employee wellness has been a major area of concern throughout the pandemic, as stress, depression and anxiety have plagued employees. December marked the lowest levels of employee well-being since the start of COVID-19, according to the Mental Health Index by Total Brain and the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.

As the pandemic continues, the Wellable survey found that previously in-demand benefits like gym memberships, free food and biometric screenings were being phased out of employer budgets this year, due to safety concerns and office closures. Employers have swapped these popular perks for virtual alternatives, like at-home meal delivery and virtual fitness programs.

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Free food and fitness are out as employers rethink their benefits