We round up the latest employment news.
Acas publishes new guidance on reasonable adjustments for mental ill-health
Acas has published new guidance for employers and workers on the sorts of reasonable adjustments they need to consider for people suffering from mental ill-health. Acas states that ‘employers should try to make reasonable adjustments even if the issue is not a disability.’
Acas publishes advice for employers on managing stress at work
Acas has also published new advice for employers on managing stress at work after a YouGov survey revealed 33% of British workers disagreed that their organisation was effective at managing work-related stress.
New survey on employee loneliness
Glassdoor has published a blog with insights from its new study which surveyed 2,000 employees to understand the levels of employee loneliness in the UK. Key findings include:
- Six-in-ten people with less than five years of work experience are lonely all or most of the time
- Only 51% of employees connect socially with colleagues at least once a month
- 28% of workers under 35 years old would stay in a job they did not like if the workplace social life was good
- 89% of workers believe feeling a sense of belonging with their company is vital to their overall workplace happiness
- 49% of workers say a good social life has a significant impact on their overall job satisfaction and mental health.
Common reasons for workplace loneliness include less in-person interaction with co-workers, inflexibility in the workplace, and a lack of focus on creating a sense of belonging or community by an employer.
Retained EU Law Bill will not intentionally undermine equality rights
The Minister for Women and Equalities has said that the government does not ‘intend’ to undermine equality rights and protections, employment rights or parental rights as a result of the Retained EU Law Bill.
She said that the government doesn’t propose to amend the Equality Act 2010, change workers’ legal rights and ‘remains committed to ensuring workers are properly protected in the workplace’.
Unison challenge new laws which allow agency staff to cover striking workers
Last year, the government changed the law to allow employers to recruit temporary agency staff to provide cover for striking workers or colleagues covering for them. You can read our overview here. Unison have brought a case against the government, challenging this decision. We should know the outcome within the next few months.
Low paid workers ‘unlikely to take employers to court’
A report commissioned by the Resolution Foundation has found that very few low-paid workers bring employment tribunal claims to enforce their rights. It found widespread evidence of employers ignoring employment protections, leaving workers out of pocket. Specifically:
- One third of workers don’t receive the correct NMW for the hours worked
- 900,000 workers don’t receive any paid holiday
- 1.8 million workers don’t get a payslip
- 600,000 workers aren’t automatically enrolled in a pension scheme by their employer.
It concludes that the enforcement system is ‘highly fragmented’ and calls on the government to put ‘its money where its mouth is when it comes to enforcing workers’ rights.’
New guidance for employers to help support staff experiencing fertility difficulties
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has published a guide to help employers support staff who are having difficulty conceiving. As well as providing tips on how to provide appropriate support, it draws on data from two 2022 surveys which found that:
- Almost one-in-five employees said they had considered leaving their job because of their experience at work in relation to fertility challenges, investigation, or treatment.
- Almost a half didn’t tell their manager either because they were concerned about the possible impact on their career, or because of concerns that their employer wouldn’t understand or offer support.
- Almost half of employers provide some kind of support for employees undergoing fertility treatment, with flexible working to enable employees to attend medical appointments being the most common support offered. But, surprisingly, over half of employers offering support hadn’t told their staff about it!
On the same theme, Pregnant Then Screwed has published a press release which reveals the unfair treatment women face in the workplace due to their reproductive health. According to its research:
- 43% of women informed their employer of their fertility treatment, but one-in-four did not receive any support from their employer.
- One-in-four women also experienced unfair treatment because of undergoing fertility treatment.
- 22% of women who disclosed their pregnancy loss to their employer felt that they were unfairly treated as a result, and 6% of partners who disclosed the same faced negative treatment.
Government asked to introduce an Employment Bill to address gaps in protection
A House of Commons Committee report says the government must reconsider the need for an Employment Bill in the upcoming King’s Speech to address gaps in employment protections.
The government has two months to respond to the committee’s proposals.
Read more - May 2023
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