OH pay and benefits Part 2 of our survey of pay and benefits of OH nurses, OH doctors, OH physiotherapists and occupational hygienists

摘要

This second report of the seventh biennial Occupational Health [at Work] pay and benefits survey explores the views of 392 OH and hygiene professionals, polled in June 2018 1. Just 14% of female OH and hygiene professionals had taken a career break for childcare - none of the male respondents had taken such a break 2. Female OH and hygiene professionals were more likely to work part-time than their male counterparts, as were those aged 50 or over 3. On average, OH and hygiene practitioners worked around five hours a week on top of their contractual hours, most of it unpaid 4. One in three respondents was entitled to an additional financial reward, such as a bonus payment - but such rewards were most commonly provided in the 'other private sector' (ie private sector employers excluding commercial OH/hygiene providers) 5. Most additional payments were worth no more than £5,000 a year, but one occupational hygienist, working in the 'other private sector', reported receiving an annual bonus of £65,000. Part-time workers were significantly less likely to be eligible for additional payments 6. Nearly all of the respondents were eligible for an occupational pension. Of these, only one in four respondents benefitted from a final salary scheme, a much smaller proportion now than reported in our previous pay and benefits surveys 7. Most OH and hygiene practitioners were eligible for some additional benefits on top of their salary, and the most common of these were having CPD paid for by their employer, flexible working, death-in-service cover, enhanced sick pay and private medical insurance. However, access to such benefits varied considerably between sectors and few practitioners benefitted from income protection 8. Annual holiday entitlement also varied according to sector: 73% of respondents in the NHS were entitled to at least 31 days' holiday a year; whereas 69% of those working for a commercial OH/hygiene provider received no more than 25 days' paid annual leave 9. Two in three OH and hygiene professionals said that their workload had increased in the past two years, although only a quarter of self-employed practitioners reported an increase. Our previous pay and benefits surveys have revealed a similar picture of increasing workloads, and in this survey many told how the increase in demand was due, at least in part, to staff shortages 10. The majority of respondents said that career prospects were at least as good as when they first joined the OH or hygiene profession, but one in three practitioners thought they were worse. Those who had been in the profession longer were more likely to think that opportunities had worsened since they started 11. Over two in three OH and hygiene professionals said that they would recommend occupational health/hygiene profession as a career to others