UK shift workers are reportedly facing pay discrepancies, affecting job satisfaction and financial stability.
- According to a UKG survey, 60% of shift workers believe they have been underpaid.
- Nearly half are concerned about keeping track of hours due to changing shift patterns.
- Inaccurate recording of hours leads to missed overtime pay for 44% of workers.
- Financial challenges are compounded by late payments, with some resorting to payday loans.
UK shift workers are encountering significant issues regarding their pay, leading to feelings of being both underpaid and undervalued. A survey conducted by Censuswide for the company UKG highlights these challenges, with 60% of the 1,000 shift workers surveyed in the UK confident they have missed out on deserved earnings. Additionally, 38% reported being paid late, while 23% noted they did not receive their pay slips regularly.
The complexity of coordinating fast-paced shift work has underscored the need for efficient and real-time connection between shift planning and payroll processes. Nearly half of frontline workers (47%) pointed out difficulties in tracking their hours amidst constantly changing shifts, thereby creating uncertainties about their exact compensation. Furthermore, 44% expressed concern over unrecorded or overlooked overtime, attributing blame to employers’ failure in accurately capturing worked hours.
This situation is prompting increased scrutiny of pay slips by the workforce. Approximately 49% of the workers now check their pay slips for accuracy more than once a month, indicating a lack of trust in payroll systems. Despite the paramount importance of being paid correctly, only 63% view it as their primary job satisfaction factor, suggesting that aspects like workplace culture, flexibility, and managerial respect also play crucial roles.
The management of shift worker pay seems fraught with inefficiencies, with 43% of workers finding it difficult to ascertain the correctness of their pay. A significant number prefer cross-verifying with colleagues rather than consulting HR or payroll departments, a choice partly driven by difficulties in obtaining timely responses from these departments. This points to a broader issue of employee dissatisfaction with existing payroll and HR communication channels.
Senior Manager Neil Pickering from UKG remarks on the changing dynamics in shiftwork-based sectors such as manufacturing and retail. He emphasizes the critical role of accurate payroll management in enhancing employee engagement and productivity. Pickering stresses that technological improvements are crucial for streamlining processes like scheduling and shift swapping, which can mitigate financial hardships caused by pay inaccuracies. Notably, 14% of surveyed workers had to rely on payday loans due to late or incorrect payments, highlighting the dire financial consequences of payroll errors.
Effective payroll management is essential for maintaining worker satisfaction and financial stability.
