Female and BAME military staff raise concerns
A "disproportionate" number of female and BAME staff in the armed forces file internal complaints, MPs said. A Commons Defence Select Committee report found that women make up 11% of the armed forces workforce but accounted for 23% of complaints made in 2018. Almost half (43%) of the complaints raised by women related to bullying, harassment and discrimination.
Similarly, people from BAME backgrounds make up 7% of the workforce but accounted for 13% of complaints. While 39% of complaints raised by BAME people concerned bullying, harassment and discrimination, just 24% of complaints raised by white staff were of this nature.
ASDA workers protest over contract changes
ASDA staff staged protests on 14 August after being told to accept changes to their contracts or lose their jobs.
The amended contract was previously voluntary but GMB members said workers were now being forced into signing the new deal. Under the new terms, it would be compulsory for staff to work on bank holidays, while paid breaks would be scrapped in exchange for a new £9 an hour basic rate.
The best bits of HR magazine in August…
Violence against retail workers
A survey by The British Retail Consortium found that more than 100 retail workers were attacked every day at work last year. What must employers do to protect them?
The difficulties of speaking truth to powerWhat gets said, what doesn’t and who is and isn’t listened to are vital to organisational success, explains Megan Reitz and John Higgins.
Early wage access at Camden Town Brewery After rapid growth Camden Town Brewery wanted to help out its dedicated and hardworking workforce. Some struggled with a monthly pay day, so an app was introduced to provide early access to wage.If you want to receive breaking news, in-depth analysis and challenging thought leadership such as this in 2020, consider signing up to our ebulletin, subscribing (for free!) to our print editions, or requesting our digital edition
