We round up the latest employment news.
Navigating workplace conflict: insights from CIPD Good Work Index
The CIPD has published its 2024 benchmark of job quality in the UK. The Good Work Index, now in its seventh year, provides evidence-based insight into how businesses can improve the working lives of their staff. This year, the report highlights the degree to which workplace conflict taints how employees feel about their work.
Key findings:
- A quarter of UK workers reported experiencing conflict at work. This is 5% less than the previous year, but this drop is thought to be linked to the fact that homeworking means that staff spend less time together
- The most common incidents reported by staff are being shouted at, undermined or humiliated
- Most employees involved in conflict simply let it go rather than resolve it in other ways such as via managers or HR
- Experiencing conflict leads to employee dissatisfaction, impacts on employees’ physical and mental health.
Aside from conflict, most people said they were satisfied with their job and pay but fewer feel inspired by their work or by their employers’ purpose, and increasing numbers of employees see work as purely transactional.
Home Office updates right to work guidance
The Home Office has recently revised its Employer’s guide to right to work checks which makes significant changes to the steps employers need to take as follows:
- The requirement for follow-up checks on individuals with pre-settled status (PSS) has been removed. Employers who conducted initial checks correctly are shielded from civil penalties provided they do not knowingly employ someone who doesn’t have the right to work
- Additional details have been provided regarding the shift to a fully digital immigration system. Notably, Biometric Residence Permit holders with a 31 December 2024 expiry date do not require follow-up checks until their leave expires
- Asylum claimant application registration card (ARC) holders granted work permission before 3 April 2024 are limited to jobs on the former Shortage Occupation List, while those granted permission from that date must adhere to the new Immigration Salary List.
Skills gap warning in England
A recent study by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has warned that England could face a significant skills gap in the workforce by 2035. The report, entitled The Skills Imperative 2035: Rethinking Skills Gaps and Solutions, predicts that up to seven million workers may lack the essential employment skills (EES) necessary for their jobs.
Key findings:
- The proportion of workers with substantial EES deficiencies is expected to rise from 13% in 2023 to 22% by 2035
- An estimated 90% of the 2.2 million new jobs created between 2020 and 2035 will be in professional fields, demanding higher EES proficiency
- Without an increase in skills supply, skills gaps are likely to become more prevalent and problematic.
The NFER wants the government to play a more active role in supporting educational and training providers and to incentivise employer investment in developing the workforce of the future.
New report indicates that UK workers are disengaged, stressed and angry
Only 10% of workers say that they feel connected to their jobs, according to Gallup's State of the Global Workforce 2024 report.
Key findings:
- 90% of UK employees are disenchanted with their roles
- 40% of UK workers experience daily stress, while 27% feel sadness each day, ranking second highest across Europe for these negative emotions
- 20% say that they feel angry every day.
In contrast, the global average for employee engagement stands at 23%, with the US reporting a higher 33%.
The data, collected in 2023 from over 128,278 working adults in more than 160 countries, indicates a strong correlation between economic factors and active disengagement. The authors believe that the decline in UK job vacancies since the post-pandemic peak in 2022 has left workers with fewer opportunities, leading many to remain in unsatisfactory roles.
You can download the full report here.
CIPD and Prospect publish paper on improving workplaces to support economic growth
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the trade union Prospect have released a paper, outlining strategic measures to revitalise workplaces and bolster economic growth.
The paper emphasises the urgent need for a public policy shift towards enhancing job quality and workplace relations. It champions the concept of social partnership, advocating for robust employee engagement and open dialogue to foster innovation and adaptability in the face of technological advancements and resource constraints.
Key recommendations:
- Establishing a Workplace Commission to bring together labour market institutions, including employer bodies and trade unions, to support policy making across government and consensus on key workplace issues such as new regulation
- Developing a more progressive labour market enforcement system to support and improve employer compliance and help drive up overall employment standards
- Strengthening sector-based social partnership and collective employer representation to improve how skills are developed and used in workplaces at an industry sector level
- Improving business support services within UK’s nations and regions to boost the people management and development capability of SMEs at a local level.
New legislation makes some non-disclosure agreements void
The UK has enacted the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, which received Royal Assent on 24 May 2024. This legislation invalidates any provisions in an agreement that restricts victims of criminal conduct from disclosing pertinent information about what has happened to them, to law enforcement, legal professionals, regulated service providers, and certain family members.
The government will need to introduce regulations to bring into force the section relevant to DNAs in the employment context.
Romantic relationships at work: BP require staff to tell all
BP has introduced a policy requiring its 90,000 employees to disclose any intimate relationships with colleagues. The policy applies to both past and present relationships and has been introduced following the dismissal of BP’s former boss Bernard Looney because he failed to disclose a number of relationships he’d had with colleagues.
New report links hybrid working with wellbeing
A new study conducted by the International Workplace Group (IWG) reveals that offering hybrid working, boosts employees’ happiness and health and increases productivity – at least according to employees.
Key findings:
- The majority of participants said that they felt less drained, stressed, and anxious
- They reported improvements in their sleep, being able to exercise and eat more healthily
- Three-quarters said that going into an office full-time would negatively impact their wellbeing
- About 74% said that hybrid working meant that they were more productive and 76% said it increased their motivation.
The research aligns with other studies, suggesting that hybrid working can reduce staff turnover, particularly among women, non-managers, and those with long commutes. It also indicates that flexible working arrangements play an important role in attracting younger employees and mitigating labour shortages.
Workplace menstruation provisions need to improve
A recent study conducted by Heriot-Watt University has highlighted the persistent cultural taboo surrounding menstruation in the workplace. The research revealed that women face particular problems when they are menstruating, including not being able to easily access toilets and washing facilities.
The study examined the concerns of women, such as lab workers, who wear white uniforms and worry about leaking blood during their periods. The lack of menstrual support in the workplace contributed to women feeling isolated, impacted their concentration, diminished their productivity, and negatively impacted their mental health and career choices.
The study calls on employers to help support employees by:
- Educating line managers on menstrual health
- Implementing menstrual health education programmes and policies to eliminate barriers
- Providing hygiene products in all toilet facilities.
Irwin Mitchell has a suite of online modules for managers to help them to understand medical conditions that impact women. It includes information and guidance on menstruation, menopause, pregnancy and other conditions. Please contact Gordon Rodham for more information.
Trade union calls on employers to provide better support for neurodiverse tech workers
A survey into the experiences of neurodiverse workers in the UK tech sector, carried out by the trade union Prospect, shows that:
- Only 25% of employers in the sector have policies in place to support neurodiverse workers
- Nearly 75% of respondents were unaware of any neurodiverse support policies by their employer
- Over a third of respondents reported that they had experienced discrimination related to their neurodiversity, with 80% having experienced challenges at work because of their condition
- 57% of people with neurodivergent conditions who asked for reasonable adjustments got them
- Less than a third asked for reasonable adjustments
- 85% said that they “masked” their neurodivergence at work to appear neurotypical.
Read more – June 2024
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