Best of HR books: January 2024

From women over 50 to hierarchies at work, we delve into new book releases to find out what HR has been reading.

Turn the big three HR challenges of 2024 into opportunities

Next year could well mark a watershed moment for HR; 12 months in which trends that have been bubbling under the surface emerge to transform the sector and have a major influence on how we work.

Asos is right to drop DEI targets – but for all the wrong reasons

Asos has announced that bosses will no longer need to meet diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) targets in order to receive annual bonuses. Instead, bonuses will hinge on the fashion giant meeting...

Comment

Apprenticeships key to social mobility, HR leaders say

There is a gap between HR leaders who see the potential of apprenticeships for social mobility (85%) and those who plan to use them in the next 12 months (65%), according to a study from training...

We must all help eradicate the class pay gap

If I was a man working full-time in the UK, I could stop working today and still earn the same as the average full-time woman for the year. But I’m a woman, and today is Equal Pay Day.

Social mobility initiatives fall by 23%

Recruitment of candidates from lower socio-economic backgrounds (LSEBs) fell from 75% in 2022 to 52% in 2023, according to research from social mobility charity Making The Leap.

Class greatest barrier to career progression in financial services

Socio-economic background is more likely to impact a person’s career in financial services than gender or ethnicity, according to a report from non-profit consultancy, The Bridge Group.

Investors in People conference: Four ways to make work better

Investors in People’s Make Work Better conference yesterday (20 September) was headlined by the serial investor and Diary of a CEO podcaster, Steven Bartlett and included insight from British Airways...

Is Keir Starmer right about communication's ability to break the ‘class ceiling’?

Labour leader Keir Starmer has vowed to improve children’s speaking skills to help breakdown class barriers in the UK, but is better oracy the key to improving social mobility?

Apprenticeship support is a ‘postcode lottery’, says report

The uneven distribution of small business support across the UK is preventing employers from recruiting and retaining apprentices, according to a new report from think tank IPPR.

HR professionals should lead the way in creating a more inclusive workforce

Fewer than two-thirds of young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds think a satisfying job is open to everyone if they work hard enough.

Diversity conversations causing frustrations

More than a quarter (26%) of employees find conversations about diversity and inclusion (D&I) frustrating and 22% of employees find them nerve wracking, according to a new report.