Workers' rights

What makes an employee hide a pregnancy from their employer?

Everyone should be able to show up in life as their true authentic self both in their personal and professional life.

Shift workers lacking flexibility offered in job adverts

Shift work may not be as flexible as advertised, as many workers are given little notice to plan their lives.

Is the UK's confused visa system in need of reform?

A ragbag approach to skills shortages and hard-to-shift government bias over the intentions of migrants is preventing employers making the most of potential talent, finds Peter Crush.

Tackling labour market friction after Covid-19: a time for transformational thinking 

The UK government signalled its intention to intensify benefit sanctions with the recently announced ‘Way to Work’ scheme, which aims to move half a million people into jobs by the end of June 2022. 

P&O's PR disaster exposes HR's critical role in risk management

Ethical failures, like the recent firing of 800 staff without consultation by ferry company P&O, can prove costly to business and seriously damage people’s lives. Employers – and HR – say experts...

Majority of UK employees unable to take sick days

More than half (52%) of UK full-time employees did not take a single sick day in the 12 months since February 2021.

UK women working 60% more overtime than male counterparts

Women in the UK work on average almost 2 hours (1.7 hours) more overtime per week than men.

Single-mother pensions dropping rapidly post pandemic

The average value of a pension fund for a single mother in the UK has dropped by 40% since the start of the pandemic.

Half of employers advertising legal requirements as job perks

UK employers are advertising pensions, sick pay and training as job perks despite them being obliged to offer them by law.

Guaranteed hours essential to business resilience

Nearly a third (32%) of working adults in the UK are given less than a week’s notice of their working hours, research published by the Living Wage Foundation (LWF) has found.

Seasonal workers scheme fails to deliver a good harvest

Following Brexit and the imminent end to EU Freedom of Movement, and to address the reliance upon migrant seasonal workers in the UK horticultural sector, on 6 March 2019 the government announced the...

How can employers champion single mothers?

There are 1.8 million single parents in the UK, the vast majority of whom (nine out of 10) are women. Almost all are in work or want to work, and pre-pandemic single-parent employment hit record...