In April, former prime minister Rishi Sunak said the UK had a “sick note culture”; #Microfeminism gained a billion views on TikTok; and the CIPD published guidance for hiring with convictions.
UK has a “sick note culture”, Sunak claims
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak said the UK had a “sick note culture” that the Conservative Party wanted to tackle if it won the general election.
Sunak said limiting sick leave was a “moral mission” and announced the party’s plans for reducing the number of people on long-term sick leave.
Gemma Dale, business lecturer at at Liverpool John Moores University, commented that the phrase “sick note culture” inaccurately implied that workers were skiving.
#Microfeminism took off on TikTok
The hashtag #Microfeminism gained more than a billion views on TikTok.
Users of the social media platform suggested that employees should use acts of microfeminism at work, such as changing the language used in emails or meetings, or calling out assumptions about women’s roles at work.
One content creator said that she calls out when men have taken credit for a female colleague’s ideas. Another explained that when giving feedback, she will affirm women before offering feedback, whereas with men she immediately prefaces her feedback with: “I want to add”.
Lizzy Barry, HR director at Iris Software Group, said: “For Gen Z, this is a way of challenging archaic attitudes and acting for inclusivity, equality and respect in the evolving workplace landscape.”
Less than a fifth (17%) of people with criminal convictions get a job within a year of release, according to data from the Ministry of Justice.
The CIPD Trust published guidance to help employers with recruiting, employing and retaining employees with convictions.
The guidance included information about language in job adverts, training for managers and offering mentoring for ex-convicts.
“One of the biggest benefits of hiring people with convictions is to the employer’s reputation as a socially responsible organisation,” said Natasha Finlayson, chief executive of Working Chance, an employment charity for women with convictions.
Best of HR magazine from April 2024:
Gender-critical teacher loses unfair dismissal claim in pronouns tribunal
