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Sick pay U-turn creates dilemmas for frontline staff
Even in a world where contact tracing systems work accurately and efficiently – a sphere we definitely don’t occupy at the moment – such schemes are only effective to the extent that people comply with the notice to self-isolate, and it is here where the Government’s recent U-turn on reforms to statutory sick pay (SSP) have created […]
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Young workers are battling an interconnected crisis
Fears are mounting that those on the first rung of the career ladder will bear the scars of the Covid recession for years to come, with more than one in four young people worried that poor mental health will affect their ability to find work in the wake of the pandemic. A survey earlier this month of […]
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How to ask for a pay rise
Talking about money is something many of us feel uncomfortable about which can make working out how to ask for a pay rise tricky. Yet whilst you might be willing to let off a mate who borrowed a tenner because you feel awkward asking for it back, you shouldn’t be willing to settle for being […]
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Four-day week risks further divisions among workers
With workers toiling for longer since the onset of the pandemic – one study has suggested that hours in the UK are up by 25 per cent – the momentum for a shift to a four-day week has gained renewed traction. Skills shortages across an array of sectors might suggest the bargaining power exists to […]
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Time to inject some reality into student recruitment
The lack of work experience opportunities caused by the pandemic has left nearly half of university students feeling unprepared for employment, according to a new survey which found that just 17 per cent had undertaken a work placement in the last year. A poll of 7,000 students and recent alums by graduate careers specialist Prospects […]
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Tackling work pressures should go beyond flexibility
A survey has found that one in four employers are considering introducing a “right to disconnect” policy to try to better help their staff keep their work and home lives separate. The poll by video conferencing firm Owl Labs surveyed 500 business leaders in the UK and found 27 per cent were looking into measures ranging from allowing staff […]
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Lowest-paid should be able to access flexible working
A poll by the TUC has highlighted there may be an “emerging class divide” in the future of flexible working arrangements. The poll found that 60 per cent of people in higher-paid occupations had worked from home during the pandemic, compared to 23% of people with low-income roles. The union body is arguing that “working […]
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Job quality holds steady, but at arguably meagre levels
While much has changed in the world of work during the past 15 months of Covid, some things have remained the same, one of which appears to be the quality of employment available in the UK. Surveys conducted as part of the 2021 Good Work Index produced by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development […]
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9 questions to ask in a job interview
It’s pretty much a certainty that at some point in every interview you attend your potential new employer will ask if you have any questions. This gives you not only the chance to impress with how interested you are in the job but also to figure out if this is the right role and company […]
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Conundrum of the mysteriously shrinking workforce
Crazy though it may seem when unemployment is so high, research has suggested that one of the biggest hurdles to economic recovery from the pandemic could well be a shortage of skilled workers. A recent report produced in conjunction by KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation found that the availability of labour has fallen […]