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Fathers move to the fore in debate over parental leave
It’s six years on from the introduction of shared parental leave (SPL) in the UK, yet uptake of what was meant to be progressive game-changing legislation to level out gender disparities remains stuck in low single-digit percentages. The paucity of those using SPL is such that campaigners, trade unionists and economists have united in calls […]
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Hidden furlough divide threatens workplace stability
With lockdown restrictions now easing, the hope is that many of those who remain on furlough will be going back to work in the coming weeks. The natural assumption is that those who do will feel an intense sense of relief, however new research has revealed that further difficulties could be on the horizon. The […]
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Unsettled workers eye up their options for the future
More than a year of lockdown has left many feeling restless, and not just for a night on the town, a long drive in the country, or a holiday abroad. According to a new poll by Aviva, 60 per cent of UK workers are planning to shake up their professional life as a direct result […]
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Employers should play part in helping younger talent
Analysis from the Learning and Work Institute and The Prince’s Trust has found that youth unemployment will cost the UK nearly £7 billion in lost national output next year. On top of this, the report predicts that the cost to the Treasury of higher spending on benefits and lower tax revenues will amount to an additional […]
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Older workers delay retirement because of pandemic
New research by merchant banking group Close Brothers has found that one in five older workers in the UK have had to delay their retirement because of the current pandemic. The survey of 2,000 workers uncovered that 19 per cent of those aged between 65 and 75 and also that 14% of those aged between […]
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Time for straight talking on racism in the workplace
The time has come to have an open and honest conversation about race in the workplace. In fact, the discussion is well overdue. Recent research from the TUC found that a third of ethnic minority workers felt they had been unfairly turned down for a job, compared to just 19 per cent of white workers. […]
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Beware the dangers of creating a vaccination divide
More than half of UK employees in a recent survey by Glassdoor said Covid vaccinations should be mandatory for those returning to work, with 14% going so far as to state that they would hand in their notice if they were asked to return to the office before everyone has had the jab. The poll […]
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Teeter-totter of life balance weighted by unpaid work
Despite the push in recent years to create better balance between our work and personal lives, the grind culture that has dominated for decades remains in ascendency. Its reign has no doubt been supported – perhaps even prolonged – by the aftermath of the banking crisis that left many either out of work or clinging […]
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Myth of merit turns on redundant pandemic workers
Having coined the term “meritocracy” more than 60 years ago, sociologist Michael Young crystallised what has become a deeply rooted belief in the power of the individual to command their own destiny, rather than be subject to external forces outside their control. The powerful sway of this doctrine is laid bare in a recent study […]
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Catch-22 on wages has echoes of the financial crisis
It was around this time last year – mere weeks before Covid swept through the UK – that official figures showed average weekly wages had finally recovered ground lost after the financial crisis to surpass levels from March 2008. After nearly 12 years of economic turmoil and lethargic recovery, living standards for the average worker […]